MCU Fellows Forum

PSMFM Mondays
6th Fellows Forum

Host Hospital: MCU-FDTMF Hospital
Date: September 16, 2024
Theme: Aspects in the Management of Cavernous Malformation during Pregnancy
Venue: B Hotel, Scout Rallos, Quezon City
Total in-person attendance: 60
Total virtual attendance: 190

The sixth fellow’s forum was held on September 16, 2024, where Dr. Rowena A. Domingo-Villar, MD, a fellow-in-training from MCU-FDTMF Hospital, presented a case involving a chronically hypertensive and overtly diabetic pregnant patient with an incidental finding of cerebral cavernoma 12 weeks prior to pregnancy. The presentation encompassed diagnosis, management, and long–term follow–up.

Dr. Domingo-Villar stressed the importance of individualized risk assessment for pregnancy in women with a known diagnosis of cerebral cavernoma, with the majority of cases requiring conservative management. Surgical intervention during pregnancy would be contingent on the exacerbation of clinical manifestations and symptoms of intracerebral hemorrhage.

For the successful management of cavernous malformation during pregnancy, a multidisciplinary approach involving obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons is recommended.

Dr. Emiciel Alta Cajucom–Gigante, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, delivered a comprehensive presentation focusing on antenatal surveillance, mode of delivery, and postpartum considerations. She underscored that the type of delivery should be determined based on obstetric indications. Counseling, both antenatally and postpartum, is crucial, focusing on the prognosis, future pregnancy plans, and postnatal symptom monitoring.

Dr. Abdul-Aziz D. Ontok, a neurosurgeon, discussed the etiology of cavernoma and highlighted the pivotal role of MRI in its diagnosis. The presentation also addressed medical management, such as anticonvulsant medication for seizures. However, surgery should be reserved for situations involving symptoms of intracerebral hemorrhage.

While Dr. Kriska Noelle V. Raymundo, MD, DPOGS, a fellow-in-training from the Section of Maternal Fetal Medicine at University of Sto. Tomas Hospital, presented a journal article.

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