The response to epilepsy surgery during the 1st follow-up year is a reliable indicator of the long-term Engel Class I postoperative outcome. This finding may have important implications for patient counseling and postoperative discontinuation of anticonvulsant medications.

Preoperative embolization may gradually reduce flow to an AVM, reduce intraoperative blood loss, and reduce operative time. The risks of this procedure, however, are not insignificant and must be considered in planning treatment for patients with AVMs.

The placement of intraventricular catheters by neurosurgeons remains a relatively safe and effective procedure that is associated with infrequent rates of symptomatic hemorrhage and infection.

SUMMARY:Since its inception, endovascular coil technology has grown substantially as multiple manufacturers entered the market with an ever-increasing number of new products. Practitioners are now inundated with a choice of coils that vary on the basis of factors such as size, composition, stiffness, and detachment mechanism. The seasoned interventionalist had the benefit of evolving with this technology and, therefore, is likely to understand many of the practical nuances of coil development; for more junior practitioners, who did not experience the ongoing changes in technology, this review will provide a basic framework for the fundamentals of coil design.