Hematologic and Inflammatory Predictors of Outcome in Patients with Brain Arteriovenous Malformations.

Objective: This study investigated the prognostic value of admission blood counts for arteriovenous malformation (AVM) outcomes and compared admission blood counts for patients with ruptured and unruptured AVMs.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent surgical treatment for a ruptured cerebral AVM between February 1, 2014, and March 31, 2020, was conducted. The primary outcome was poor neurologic outcome, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score ≥2 in patients with unruptured AVMs or >2 in patients with ruptured AVMs.

Results: Of 235 included patients, 80 (34%) had ruptured AVMs. At admission, patients with ruptured AVMs had a significantly lower mean (SD) hemoglobin level (12.78 [2.07] g/dL vs. 13.71 [1.60] g/dL, P < 0.001), hematocrit (38.1% [5.9%] vs. 40.7% [4.6%], P < 0.001), lymphocyte count (16% [11%] vs. 26% [10%], P < 0.001), and absolute lymphocyte count (1.41 [0.72] × 10/μL vs. 1.79 [0.68] × 10/μL, P < 0.001), and they had a significantly higher mean (SD) white blood cell count (10.4 [3.8] × 10/μL vs. 7.6 [2.3] × 10/μL, P < 0.001), absolute neutrophil count (7.8 [3.8] × 10/μL vs. 5.0 [2.5] × 10/μL, P < 0.001), and neutrophil count (74% [14%] vs. 64% [13%], P < 0.001). Among patients with unruptured AVMs, white blood cell count ≥6.4 × 10/μL and absolute neutrophil count ≥3.4 × 10/μL were associated with a favorable neurologic outcome, whereas hemoglobin level ≥13.4 g/dL was associated with an unfavorable outcome. Among patients with ruptured AVMs, hypertension was associated with a 3-fold increase in odds of a poor neurologic outcome.

Conclusions: Patients with ruptured and unruptured AVMs present with characteristic profiles of hematologic and inflammatory parameters evident in their admission blood work.