Causes And Risk Factors For A Cavernous Malformation

Spinal Injury

An individual who has experienced a spinal injury is at a higher risk of having a cavernous malformation than others. Instead of a spinal injury causing the development of a cavernous malformation, the cavernous malformations can cause an individual to experience a spinal injury. This risk factor is a less prevalent one, and cavernous malformations are typically found on the imaging performed to evaluate the patient's spinal injury. Only between three and five percent of all cavernous malformations are found in a location within the spinal cord. Half of all cavernous malformations that occur in the spinal cord are found in the thoracic section, forty percent are found in the cervical section, and ten percent are found in the conus. A spinal injury can occur in an individual who has a cavernous malformation in their spinal cord because of its growth occupancy of space, significant hemorrhage, and repeated micro-bleeding. Unlike cavernous malformations that develop in the brain, cavernous malformations that occur in the spinal column can cause an individual to experience a spinal injury that can result in progressive myelopathy and partial or complete paraplegia.

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