Vascular Diseases of the Nervous System

Vascular diseases affect the veins and arteries that carry blood around the body. Many different conditions can affect the veins and arteries that deliver blood to the brain and spinal cord. This includes diseases such as a stroke, an aneurysm, or vascular dementia. It can be difficult to make a vascular disease diagnosis since there are a variety of symptoms that a person can have.

The malformation may be diagnosed after a hemorrhage or as a result of a seizure or possibly as a result of headaches. With improved techniques used to visualize the brain with newer radiographic studies, the diagnosis of an asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic lesion is increasing. Regardless of how the diagnosis is made, once it is decided that a vascular malformation is present, the next step is to ascertain the exact type of vascular malformation, which influences heavily the need for treatment and the exact details of potential treatment.