Radiation Therapy Treatment in Orange County, CA

At Orange County CyberKnife, we’re proud to provide world-class radiation therapy treatment to patients throughout Orange County from our state-of-the-art cancer treatment center. We use the use the most powerful cancer-fighting technology in the world at our cancer center, combining cutting-edge radiation therapy systems like CyberKnife with an unrivaled team of cancer doctors and cancer care specialists. While we specialize in treating various forms of cancer throughout the body, we can also use CyberKnife to treat non-cancerous conditions like arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).

About AVMs

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), are snarled, abnormal tangles of blood vessels that create unhealthy connections between arteries and veins. AVMs are most common in the spinal cord and brain, but they can develop anywhere in the body. Scientists still aren’t sure why AVMs form, but there seems to be a genetic component. The effects of AVMs depend on their location – but if they form in the brain of spinal cord, they can cause serious issues like seizures, severe headaches, muscle weakness, paralysis, dizziness, vision loss, back pain, confusion, and many more. In serious cases, AVMs can cause permanent neurological damage and brain hemorrhaging if they bleed.

Treatment options vary depending on where the AVM is in the body, but the most decisive forms of treatment are surgery or a radiosurgery system like CyberKnife.

Treatment Options for Arteriovenous Malformations

Treatment options for AVMs depend on their size and location in the body, and the risks for treatment vary greatly but can be quite serious for AVMs in the brain or spinal cord. That said, untreated AVMs can pose a risk of hemorrhaging or bleeding, which can cause serious neurological damage or even death. While a number of options are available for managing AVMs, the only way to definitively treat an AVM is with surgery or radiation therapy. Depending on your specific condition, you and your doctor may consider a number of options for treating your AVM:

• Medication: Medications are generally used to treat symptoms of AVMs like headaches, back pain, or seizures. While they can help manage an AVM, they do not act as lasting treatment.

• Conventional Surgery: Surgical treatment involves physically opening up the brain or spinal cord and cutting out the center of the AVM. Surgery is most recommended for AVMs located near the surface of the brain or spinal cord, where they’re easiest to reach. Surgery may not be an option for AVMs deep within the brain or spinal cord, as the surgery may pose too great a risk of damaging vital tissue.

• Endovascular Embolization: In this treatment, a surgeon guides a small catheter through your arteries until the tip reaches the center of the AVM. Once there, the catheter infects either a fast-drying glue-like substance, a fibered titanium coil, or a tiny balloon. These act to create an artificial blood clot in the center of the AVM, reducing the amount of blood that travels through it. Usually, this technique is used in conjunction with surgery to reduce blood flow and make surgery safer.

• CyberKnife Radiosurgery: One of the most effective treatments for many AVMs is CyberKnife: a non-surgical, noninvasive treatment that uses a precisely-targeted beam of radiation to damage the walls of the blood vessels and close the AVM. CyberKnife uses some of the most advanced medical technology in the world, combining state-of-the-art imaging systems with a precise robotic arm to guide radiation with sub-millimeter accuracy. After the procedure, the vessels will gradually degenerate over a period of months, eventually closing the AVM and resolving the issue. When possible, CyberKnife is among the most convenient and effective treatments available – and at OC CyberKnife, we specialize in this groundbreaking treatment system.

H2 Schedule a Consultation for CyberKnife Radiation Therapy

CyberKnife provides a permanent, non-surgical treatment option for many patients with AVMs, and if you’d like to find out more about how we can use CyberKnife to treat your AVM, OC CyberKnife is here to help. Call us at (714) 962-7100 to talk to one of our expert radiation oncologists about CyberKnife, and don’t hesitate to reach out to us at our contact page to schedule an in-office consultation. Together, we’ll work to treat your AVM as conveniently and safely as possible, helping you stay healthy without the difficulty of surgery.