Cavernous Malformation Center

A cavernous malformation is an abnormal collection or tangle of thin-walled blood vessels within normal brain tissue or within the spinal cord. Our specialists have extensive experience treating cavernous malformations, also known as cavernous hemangiomas, cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM), or cavernomas, so we know your condition well and can anticipate your needs.

Although cavernous malformations in the brain or spine are benign vascular malformations, they can lead to problems. Some cavernomas take up space and cause weakness or numbness. Others can cause a seizure by irritating the brain, while some may present as a brain hemorrhage, and others have no symptoms. That is why no two patients have the exact same journey. Each person with a cavernous malformation needs the right tests, an individual assessment, and a custom treatment plan, as well as regular check-ups. In other words: your care at Penn’s Cavernous Malformation Center will be centered on and specific to you.

Penn Medicine has the only hospital in the Philadelphia region to be designated as a Center of Excellence for Cerebral Cavernous Malformation by the Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformation. This means we excel at providing high-quality care for cavernous malformation patients.

In our center, we offer:

• Comprehensive care for cerebral and spinal cavernous malformations
• Consultation with different specialists (neurosurgery, neurology, genetics, or others) depending on your needs
• Innovative diagnostic tests and tailored cavernoma surgery treatments
• Skilled surgeons who perform a high volume of cavernoma surgeries each year
• Research and clinical trials for cavernomas

At The Cavernous Malformation Center, you’ll meet a group of highly skilled cavernoma specialists. Initial visits are streamlined, allowing you to see all the specialists you need at your very first visit—saving you time and giving you faster care. Our doctors work with many patients with vascular malformations, and they know when to watch and wait, when to intervene, and which treatments will give you the best long-term results.

To diagnose cavernomas, we use specialized technologies not available at every hospital. Penn’s Cavernous Malformation Center offers high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including cavernoma-specific MRI sequences that spot small or multiple cavernomas. We also offer genetic testing for patients to rule out or confirm familiar cavernous malformations.

Surgery for vascular malformations, including microsurgical resection of cavernomas, is different than other types of brain surgery. Because it’s so specialized, the best results come from surgeons who treat a high volume of vascular malformations including locations such as the brainstem. The surgeons at Penn’s Cavernous Malformation Center are among the busiest cerebrovascular surgeons in the country—and are highly focused on vascular malformations. That is why our outcomes are among the best in the nation. In fact, patients typically go home the next day and feel well enough to resume normal activity within days.