A comprehensive analysis of patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformation with headache: assessment of risk factors and treatment effectiveness

Background Due to the high mortality and disability rate of intracranial hemorrhage, headache is not the main focus of research on cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM), so research on headaches in AVM is still scarce, and the clinical understanding is shallow. This study aims to delineate the risk factors associated with headaches in AVM and to compare the effectiveness of various intervention treatments versus conservative treatment in alleviating headache symptoms. Methods This study conducted a retrospective analysis of AVMs who were treated in our institution from August 2011 to December 2021. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the risk factors for headaches in AVMs with unruptured, non-epileptic. Additionally, the effectiveness of different intervention treatments compared to conservative management in alleviating headaches was evaluated through propensity score matching (PSM). Results A total of 946 patients were included in the analysis of risk factors for headaches. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that female (OR 1.532, 95% CI 1.173–2.001, p = 0.002), supply artery dilatation (OR 1.423, 95% CI 1.082–1.872, p = 0.012), and occipital lobe (OR 1.785, 95% CI 1.307–2.439, p