To investigate the effects of preoperative intravascular embolization on treatment of intracranial giant arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), 27 patients with intracranial giant AVMs were successfully treated from August, 1997 to April 1998 every patient was treated with preoperative intravascular embolization. Compared with single surgical resection, it was found that surgical resection after intravenous embolization can greatly reduce the intraoperative hemorrhage, diminish postoperative mortality and morbidity, and prevent normal perfusion pressure breakthrough (NPPB) significantly. The present study suggested that combination of surgical resection and intravascular embolization was an effect way in the treatment of giant cerebral AVMs.