Overview Acute seizures and progression to epilepsy (chronic, recurrent seizures) is a common problem in patients with brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM), which can cause significant disability contributing to poor quality of life. Effective seizure control (either freedom or improvement) after successful bAVM treatment has been reported in several studies; thus, unruptured bAVMs with epilepsy is considered an indication for intervention. Yet, the risk of seizures post-bAVM treatment remains high and there is significant variability in both reported practice and patient outcomes due to the lack of consensus and guidelines on anti-seizure medication (ASM) utilization, duration, and withdrawal after bAVM treatment. Significant gaps in knowledge remain regarding the risk of epilepsy and active epilepsy (treatment with ASM) in bAVM patients, and the rate of seizure control after bAVM treatment. The long-term objective of this project is to find the best epilepsy treatment options for bAVM patients to improve epilepsy outcomes and quality of life. This project leverages our UCSF cohort of bAVM patients to study the risk of epilepsy and outcomes before and after bAVM treatment, with a focus on outcomes and shared mechanisms between epileptogenesis and bAVM pathogenesis. Affiliated Lab Center for Cerebrovascular Research Principal investigator UCSF Helen Kim, MPH, PhD Professor Collaborators UCSF Shantel Weinsheimer, PhD Assistant Adjunct Professor External persons Christine Fox, MD Associate Professor, Dept of Neurology Adam Numis, PhD Associate Professor, Dept of Neurology Ethan Winkler, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Dept of Neurological Surgery Seeking collaborators Our project is looking for individuals to join our team. Get in touch if you’d like to learn more. Email Us Support this research Are you excited by the innovative work we’re doing on this project? Learn how your financial support can make the difference in our work. Support
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