**6. Clinical presentation**

cAVMs commonly present in younger age group ranging from 10 to 40 years. The clinical presentation of cAVM depends on the patient's age, size, location and vascular features of the cAVM. These patients commonly present with headache or neurological deficit or convulsions or intracerebral hemorrhage.

#### **6.1 Headache**

Around 0.2% of patients with headache and normal neurologic examinations were associated with cAVM [11]. Usually headache associated with cAVM is incidental, without any specifications. Headaches are the presenting symptom in approximately 15% of patients without evidence of rupture. Headache can be characterized as similar to migraines with lateralization to one side.

#### **6.2 Focal neurologic deficit**

This is quite an unusual presentation of cAVM. A vascular steal syndrome is hypothesized to be the cause for focal neurologic deficit [1].

#### **6.3 Seizure (convulsions)**

About 11–33% of cAVM patients present with convulsions, and patients with cortical-located, large, multiple and superficial-draining cAVMs present with convulsions [12]. Convulsions are focal, simple or partial complex with secondary *Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation from Classification to the Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86659*

**Figure 3.** *Graphic representation of intracerebral hemorrhage.*

generalization. cAVM-related seizures may occur due to the overt intracranial hemorrhage, from the hemosiderin deposition, or secondary to venous hypertension, ischemia following steal. The cAVM location influences the seizure type and semiology. The 5-year seizure risk for cAVMs is found to be 8% [13].
