Dear Colleagues,

We are very excited that you have joined us at this meeting. The management of AVM continues to pose immense challenges for patients, care givers and all health providers involved in this condition. With the growth of knowledge and technological breakthroughs in this field, we are witnessing significant improvements in the clinical outcomes for our patients. However, this growth of information has not necessarily been accompanied by greater clarity in how best to manage this disease. As our experience in AVM management deepens, the controversies also broaden, not only between different disciplines but also within specialties.

The World AVM Congress provides a unique forum to learn about the latest research and explore the many controversies, with the common goal of providing the best care for our patients. We start the meeting with a session dedicated to the basic scientific research of AVMs, with a strong emphasis on the molecular etiology of the disease, exploring the contribution of cutting edge computational science in the study of AVMs and understanding the relevance of animal models. The management of AVMs often varies depending on regional differences, which in itself may be driven by differences in healthcare systems, socio-economic factors or even cultural differences. A World-View session offers perspectives of AVM care from very varied regions, including China, Europe and the Sub-Saharan desert.

The main treatment modalities of Surgery, Endovascular Surgery and Radiosurgery will each have dedicated sessions, and insights into the interactions between these different modalities will be discussed. Much of the available research informs the management of adult brain AVMs and there’s a relative paucity of information regarding Pediatric brain AVMs and spinal AVMs. Sessions dedicated to these entities will help address some of the differences in the management compared to adult brain AVMs.

The meeting ends with a session dedicated to looking forward into the future, always with the emphasis of how best to contribute scientifically in improving clinical outcome for our patients. In addition to individual speakers, there will be panel discussions and debates on controversial topics throughout the meeting. Common clinical cases will be presented that are encountered in everyday cerebrovascular practice. Debates between the panelists and audience on these and three controversial topics will for certain be highly informative, stimulating and entertaining.

Our scientific committee has also selected the best of all the submitted abstracts, which will be presented in both oral and eposter forms during the meeting. In addition, two special talks will be both inspiring and educational. The San Francisco Bay area is home to many great institutions, including NASA Ames. Dr. Pascal Lee is a planetary scientist and has dedicated his career in preparing for a manned mission to Mars. We will hear his fascinating journey to making this bold goal a reality. Katherine and Ben Perreth are an amazing Mother and Son duo from Wisconsin, who has lived through firsthand all the tribulations of a ruptured cerebral AVM as a pediatric patient and a mother caring for her child. We are privileged to hear their personal story and perspective.

Thank you again for joining us at the 3rd World AVM Congress. It is harvest time in Napa and we look forward to seeing the many presentations, discussions and friendship bear fruit and generate a new crop of ideas.