The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery PGY3 Resident Andrew Hale, M.D., Ph.D., presented at the 2023 Joint Pediatric Section Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
 
Hale’s presentation, “Endoluminal Sampling in situ Enables Genetic Characterization of Vein of Galen Malformation,” examined the hypothesis that using endoluminal tissue sampling (ETS)
may identify somatic mutations and transcriptional programs underlying Vein of Galen malformation (VOGM) pathogenesis and maintenance.
 
The study, which contained a cohort of 24 patients, concluded that, when feasible, ETS is a valuable tool for cerebrovascular providers to understand fundamental aspects of cerebrovascular biology.