Neurological Surgery

Symptoms of a Cavernous Malformation

Many people with a cerebral cavernous malformation will never experience any symptoms. In others, a cav-mal may cause:

  • Headache
  • Weakness
  • Numbness
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Unsteadiness or loss of balance
  • Hearing or vision changes
  • Seizures
  • Paralysis
  • Cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain)


Since these symptoms can be signs of many different conditions, a doctor will generally order an MRI scan of the brain to diagnose the problem. (See Diagnosing and Treating a Cavernous Malformation.)

In some people, symptoms seem to come and go, lessening for a while and then coming back again. This may mean that the cav-mal has caused a small hemorrhage, which worsens the symptoms; as the leaked blood is reabsorbed into the brain the patient feels better, only to experience symptoms again with the next small incident of blood leakage.

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What our Patients Say

Danielle Soviero
“I Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Anymore” – A Brain Surgery Story
In the fall of 2020, Danielle Soviero felt as if she were right where she should be. She had graduated from college two years earlier and had begun her career as an early childhood teacher. “I look back at those years fondly,” she says. “I was just...
Brad Weisbord
“Listen to Someone Who’s Been Through It” – A Cav-Mal Story
Bradley Weisbord of Boca Raton, Florida, buys and sells horses. Not just any horses, mind you. Bradley works with champion thoroughbred racehorses, the best of the best. He landed in the business after he graduated from college in 2008 right into...
Keri Mahe was treated for a cavernous malformation at Weill Cornell Medicine
A New Spin on Life: Keri Mahe’s Stroke and Recovery
It started out like any other normal day for Keri Mahe, a 40-year-old mother of two from Erie, Colorado. After her daily Spin class, she dropped her kids off at school and preschool, then stopped by a local coffee shop before settling down to work....
Dr. Philip E. Stieg with his patient, Rachel Lindquist
I Was Awake During My Brain Surgery
Rachel says she had no sensation at all of anyone working on her brain when she woke up from the anesthesia while on the OR table.

Our Care Team

Philip E. Stieg, PhD, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine
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  • Chair and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief
  • Margaret and Robert J. Hariri, MD ’87, PhD ’87 Professor of Neurological Surgery
  • Vice Provost of Business Affairs and Integration
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Phone: 212-746-4684
Michael J. Ayad, MD, PhD
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  • Director of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
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Phone: 718-780-3070
Jared Knopman, MD
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  • Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuroradiology
  • Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery
  • Fellowship Director, Endovascular Neurosurgery
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Phone: 212-746-5149
Ning Lin, MD
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  • Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery
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Phone: 718-670-1837
Justin Schwarz, MD
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  • Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery (Brooklyn and Manhattan)
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Phone: 212-746-2821 (Manhattan); 718-780-3070 (Brooklyn)

Reviewed by Philip E. Stieg, PhD, MD
Last reviewed/last updated: October 2023

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Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery 525 East 68 Street, Box 99 New York, NY 10065 Phone: 866-426-7787