Hereditary Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations

To the Editor. —It was with great interest that I read the recently published article by Allard et al. 1 On review of the magnetic resonance imaging pictures shown in the article, however, I could not help but notice that the appearance of the displayed malformations resembles that of cavernous angiomas. Such appearance (a central core of mixed intensity surrounded by an area of hypointensity) has been previously described in association with families showing cavernous angiomas (cavernous malformations). 2 I suggest that it is possible that the family described by Allard and collaborators is actually afflicted by this type of congenital vascular anomaly, rather than by arteriovenous malformations. Cavernous angiomas are more frequently found in families, and are particularly inherited in a dominant pattern. I would also suggest, as an additional tool in the differentiation between these two types of congenital anomalies, examination by transcranial Doppler ultrasound. We have recently