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Drug treatment
It is wise to avoid taking aspirin, or other drugs that prevent your blood from clotting, in case your vascular malformation bleeds. You may be given steroids to reduce any swelling of the brain around your vascular malformation before embolisation or neurosurgery. Steroids should not be stopped suddenly. Anticonvulsant tablets are used to treat epileptic seizures if you experience them.

Rehabilitation
Your recovery from symptoms due to your vascular malformation may be gradual, and rehabilitation can help improve your recovery. If you are admitted to hospital, nurses will be available to help you with your everyday needs. Whether you are in hospital or not, your doctor can refer you for speech and language therapy, physiotherapy for certain problems with weakness and balance, and occupational therapy to help with a variety of functions in your everyday life.

Research
Whilst reading this booklet and talking to your doctors, you may have identified some unanswered questions about your condition. Because vascular malformations are rare conditions, and our understanding of them is incomplete, they are an important subject for medical research. During the course of your treatment, you may be invited to take part in a research study to compare different types of treatment. Any studies that you are approached about should be fully explained to you and have the approval of the appropriate ethics committee. You can, of course, refuse to take part.