Eagles

News is Not Good for Mike Patterson

By Kyle Scott

Published: Aug 4th, 2011 · 9:03 AM EDT

---

We thought everything was going to be OK.

After lying on the field for 15 minutes yesterday – convulsing and reportedly losing consciousness – reports on Mike Patterson were positive. He was said to be awake and alert while being kept in the hospital overnight for precautionary reasons. Now comes a report from Sal Paolantonio that Patterson has Brain AVM, which will require surgery or radiation.

It's probably too early to speculate on a definitive treatment, but here is a description of the problem from the Toronto Brain Vascular Study:

AVM stands for Arteriovenous Malformation. An AVM is a tangle of abnormal and poorly formed blood vessels (arteries and veins). They have a higher rate of bleeding than normal vessels. AVMs can occur anywhere in the body.  Brain AVMs are of special concern because of the damage they cause when they bleed. They are very rare and occur in less than 1% of the general population. AVMs that occur in the coverings of the brain are called dural avms.

 

A fairly comprehensive description of the causes, symptoms, and treatment of Brain AVM can be found here. We'll have more from the Eagles later on.