AVM recurrence?

Posted By Kathleen W. on June 23, 1998 at 17:54:17:







I had an AVM resection - right frontal lobe 15 years ago.  The surgery took 10 hours.  Have been taking dilantin since to contol left arm, side of face tingles/numbness which was diagnosed as seizures.  One year ago I started experiencing headaches, nausea, extreme dizziness and tingling on left side, mostly my leg and the tingles are in a different part of my face - my left leg is weak.  Past cat scan (post surgery) showed a vein of galen aneurysm.  Recent cat scan showed the avm didn't come back and my eeg is benign - the vein of galen aneurysm has had no change.  I was put on Neurontin along with my dilantin.  I am still getting tingles in my face and left leg and it is still weak, I am still having bouts of dizziness.  Can that be the neurontin?   My doctor says the next step is an arteriogram because cat scans aren't conclusive.  I can't have an MRI because of clips in my brain.  How often do AVM's recur?  What are symtoms (symptoms) of something happening in a brain of galen aneurysm?  After an AVM resection can a person expect to have a normal life expectancy?