Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula

Alternative names:

arteriovenous malformation - pulmonary; pulmonary arteriovenous malformation

Definition:

An abnormal passageway between an artery and vein that occurs in the blood vessels of the lungs. This produces a right-to-left shunting of blood (blood is not oxygenated properly) and is present in as many as one third of cases of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Osler-Weber-Rendu disease). There may not be any symptoms, or symptoms may include difficulty breathing or bloody sputum. Other symptoms that may occur include blue skin (cyanosis), clubbing of the fingers (enlargement of the tips of the fingers), and a murmur heard with a stethoscope placed over the malformation. Treatment may be unnecessary if there are no symptoms; symptomatic malformations may require surgical resection (cutting out) or embolization (clotting off).