Surgical management outcomes of intracranial arteriovenous malformations after preoperative embolization: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Preoperative embolization for brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) has been shown to mitigate morbidity for high-risk AVMs, chiefly by reducing lesional blood flow before resection. However, associated risks include postembolization AVM rupture, and the effect of preoperative embolization on outcome remains uncertain. We performed a meta-analysis of the literature on preoperative embolization for microsurgically treated AVMs. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted of all English-language publications reporting clinical outcomes after combined embolization and surgical resection for AVMs. Single- and 2-arm analyses were performed using random-effects modeling. Results Thirty-six studies with 2108 patients were included in this analysis. Most patients (90.6%) who underwent embolization had at least a 50% obliteration of AVMs on posttreatment preoperative angiography, with a mean rate of obliteration of approximately 80% (range 28.8–100%). Among patients who had combined treatment, 3.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1–4.6%) experienced embolization-related hemorrhagic complications before surgery. Both treatment groups achieved excellent postsurgical complete resection rates (odds ratio [OR] 1.05; 95% CI 0.60–1.85). Neither the clinical outcome (OR 1.42; 95% CI 0.84–2.40) nor the total number of hemorrhagic complications (OR 1.84; 95% CI 0.88–3.85) was significantly different between the treatment groups. Conclusions In this meta-analysis, preoperative embolization appears to have substantially reduced the lesional volume with active AV shunting before AVM resection. Anecdotally, preoperative embolization facilitates safe and efficient resection; however, differences in outcomes were not significant. The decision to pursue preoperative embolization remains a nuanced decision based on individual lesion anatomy and treatment team experience.