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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Our Care Team
- Chairman and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief
- Margaret and Robert J. Hariri, MD ’87, PhD ’87 Professor of Neurological Surgery
- Vice Provost of Business Affairs and Integration
Phone: 212-746-4684
- Director of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
Phone: 718-780-3070
- Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuroradiology
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
- Fellowship Director, Endovascular Neurosurgery
Phone: 212-746-5149
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery (Brooklyn and Manhattan)
Phone: 212-746-2821 (Manhattan); 718-780-3070 (Brooklyn)
Reviewed by Philip E. Stieg, PhD, MD
Last reviewed/last updated: October 2020