Study Shows Pregnancy Can Significantly Worsen Risk of Serious Brain Injury in Women with Arteriovenous Malformations
CONTACT: Camille Jewell, cjewell@vancomm.com or 202-248-5460
NASHVILLE — At the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 22nd Annual Meeting today, researchers presented findings about how pregnancy can worsen the rupture risk for brain arteriovenous malformations, abnormal connections between arteries and veins whose rupture can result in serious brain injury or death. \
During pregnancy, hormonal shifts and the increased demand on the heart to pump a higher volume of blood can place added strain on both the body and the brain. Researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson recently investigated whether these physical changes can aggravate health issues for pregnant women with three brain conditions that are prone to rupturing and causing serious brain injury: arteriovenous malformations (abnormal tangles of blood vessels that disrupt blood flow), brain aneurysms (bulges in weakened brain arteries that can cause stroke if ruptured), and cavernous malformations (unusually shaped blood vessels that can cause brain bleeding if ruptured).
In the study, “Rupture Risk of Intracranial Vascular Malformations During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” the research team reviewed 5,609 journal articles from multiple academic databases that discussed pregnant women with these conditions, ultimately choosing 15 to statistically analyze. They then used data from the articles to group patients by whether they experienced a rupture. The scientists found that while pregnancy didn’t seem to make a major difference in rupture rates for women with brain aneurysms and cavernous malformations, pregnant women with arteriovenous malformations were much more likely to experience ruptures than non-pregnant women with the same condition.
“These findings show that we still have much to learn about how pregnancy affects the brain,” said Evan Bowen, a medical student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “We need more research into these effects and their potential causes so that doctors can more precisely target how to treat pregnant women with these and other serious health conditions.”
To receive a copy of this abstract or to speak with the study authors, please contact Camille Jewell at cjewell@vancomm.com or call 202-248-5460.
About the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery
The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) is a scientific and educational association dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurointerventional surgery through research, standard-setting, and education and advocacy to provide the highest quality of patient care in diagnosing and treating diseases of the brain, spine, head and neck. Visit www.snisonline.org and follow us on X (@SNISinfo) Facebook (@SNISOnline), LinkedIn (@Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery), Instagram (@SNIS_info) and Bluesky (@snisinfo.bsky.social).