Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Wall shear stress (WSS) has been implicated as an important stimulus for vascular remodeling. The purpose of this study is to measure WSS in AVM arterial feeders using quantitative magnetic resonance angiography pre- and post-embolization/surgery. ⋯ Enlargement of cerebral AVM arterial feeders is insufficient to compensate for increased blood flow, creating high WSS. After treatment, flow diminishes and so WSS and vessel diameter concomitantly decrease. Thus, WSS plays a pivotal role in vascular remodeling that may be exploited to monitor AVM response to treatment or understand other high-flow vascular pathologies.