High Prevalence of Spinal Cord Cavernous Malformations in the Familial Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Type 1 Cohort.

Spinal cord cavernous malformations occur commonly in the familial cerebral cavernous malformation population. Gradient-based sequences are the most sensitive and should be used when spinal cord cavernous malformations are suspected. This study establishes the prevalence in the familial population at around 70% and supports the idea that this condition is a progressive systemic disease that affects the entire central nervous system.