Thank you to all those who attended our online CAUK Annual Forum. We had some great cavernoma-expert guest speakers with us on the day, and the feedback has been great! We know that not everyone in our community was able to attend, and we understand that many of you find it easier to watch the talks at your own pace – and so we’ve uploaded the recordings of the three main talks to our Youtube channel.
Cavernoma and Anxiety
In this talk, speaker Dr Anita Rose talks about anxiety and gives some coping strategies for when anxiety takes over. She specifically highlights the many reasons why cavernoma can be a difficult condition to deal with emotionally; from frequent misdiagnoses, to the decision to have surgery or to ‘watch & wait’ and the general lifestyle upheaval often associated with diagnosis. She takes time to explain the ‘anxiety cycle’ and distinguishes between fear, anxiety and stress, before providing some excellent tips and strategies for coping when these difficult emotions arise.
Dr Anita Rose is a Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist, and Head of Neuropsychology at Ascot Rehab Ltd. Dr Rose is very well regarded in the field of brain injury and chronic neurological conditions. As well as her involvement in the clinical field and in research, Anita has been published widely and she is a Patron, Trustee and Clinical Advisor to many neurological organisations across the world. She’s passionately committed to the development of services of excellence.
The Future of Paediatric Neurology
Dr Vassallo joins us to discuss paediatric neurology as it is relevant for families affected by cavernoma. Using her knowledge of past and present understandings of paediatric neurology, Dr Vassallo explores her predictions for the future.
Dr Grace Vassallo is a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Her special interests include paediatric neurovascular disease (including cavernoma) and neurofibromatosis, a congenital condition that can cause skin and brain tumours, and other complications.
Dr Bertalanffy discusses the surgical aspect of cavernoma, giving a very detailed insight into the different surgical approaches to brainstem cavernoma, depending on symptoms and uses a variety of case studies as successful examples.
Dr Helmut Bertalanffy is Professor of Neurological Surgery and Director of Vascular Neurosurgery at the International Neuroscience Institute in Hannover, Germany. He is a leader in the field of brainstem surgery and has published a significant number of articles related to basic research and microsurgical treatment of cerebral cavernous malformations. (*Please note that due to sensitive imagery of brainstem surgeries YouTube has restricted access to our ‘Brainstem Cavernoma’ talk by Dr. Bertalanffy and you must be logged in and over 18 years old to view.)
We thank Dr Rose, Dr Vassallo and Dr. Bertalanffy for joining us at this years’ Forum and for always supporting CAUK.