Clinical Staging, Angioarchitecture Type, and Surgical Treatment of Arteriovenous Malformations in the Head and Neck: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis

Objective Head and neck are the predilection sites of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Although embolization is the first-line treatment for AVMs, complete surgical removal of the lesion still has its value due to the best outcome with low recurrence rate. Here, the authors made a retrospective analysis on the surgical treatment of AVMs in the head and neck. Methods From January 2006 to December 2019, a total of 18 patients with AVMs in the head and neck were enrolled in this study, including 10 males. The Schobinger clinical staging, Yakes' angioarchitecture type, and surgical treatment were analyzed. The follow-up data were collected. Then, individual treatment strategies were summarized. Results According to Schobinger clinical classification system, 6 patients were at stage I, 7 patients at stage II, and 5 patients at stage III. According to Yakes' AVM classification system, 3 Type I, 4 Type II, 5 Type III, and 3 Type IV were confirmed. 3 patients cannot be confirmed due to lacking of arteriographic data. Surgical treatments included simple surgical excision (8 patients), dilator therapy (6 patients), and skin grafting after surgical excision (4 patients). In the follow-up period, 2 patients had recurrence and accepted operation again. All patients were satisfied with the appearance. Conclusions Individual surgical treatment based on the clinical stage and angioarchitecture type can achieve satisfactory results in AVMs in the head and neck.