Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages in children

This article reviews a number of intracranial lesions that cause nontraumatic hemorrhages in the pediatric population. Most of these lesions include vascular malformations such as arteriovenous malformations, intracranial aneurysms, and cavernous malformations. Even though other lesions such as vein of Galen malformations, moyamoya disease, and intracranial bleeds associated with tumors are less common, they must be considered in children presenting with nontraumatic hemorrhages. We discuss the differences in presentation and evaluation of these lesions and advocate multidisciplinary management involving neurosurgery, radiosurgery, and interventional neuroradiology.