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The particular risks of bleeding, epilepsy, and disability depend on the type of vascular malformation you have and its location in your head. Your investigations may show up other features suggesting a higher or lower risk of these complications. Because further research into prognosis is needed, the following figures are only estimates.

The risk of bleeding from an AVM of the brain for the first time is approximately 1 in 50 (2%) every year, and the risk of another bleed following a previous one is probably somewhat higher. The risk of dying from a bleed can be as high as 1 in 5 (20%), and the risk of disability afterwards may be as high as 1 in 3 (30%). For people with an AVM of the brain, each year there is a 1 in 100 risk of developing epileptic seizures for the first time, although they can often be controlled with anticonvulsants.

The risk of bleeding from cavernous malformations and dural AVMs is lower, probably around 1 in 100 every year, and it is lower still for venous malformations. The risk of developing epileptic seizures for the first time due to a cavernous malformation is approximately 1 in 50 (2%) each year.

We are unsure whether there is a greater risk of bleeding from any of the vascular malformations during pregnancy, either due to the increased blood circulation during pregnancy or pressure changes during labour.