Korean J Pediatr.  2005 Feb;48(2):216-220.

Two Case of Pulmonary Arteriovenous Fistula Treatment Depending on the Presence of Pulmonary Hypertension

• Huh YJ
• Kim JT
• Choi JY

Abstract

Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas(PAVFs) is a rare disorder that occurs in two to three children per 100,000 population. It is presented as absence of intervening capillary beds between the pulmonary artery and vein with resultant persistent right to left shunt. Other causes include trauma, liver cirrhosis, malignancy and schistosomiasis. It is mostly asymptomatic, but it may present with respiratory difficulty, cyanosis, clubbed fingers induced by right to left shunt or hemoptysis, polycythemia and epistaxis. Major complications, such as brain abscess, brain embolism, paradoxical embolism and subacute infective endocarditis can be devastating, so therapeutic intervention is recommended in all patients. However, removal of low-resistance fistulas can aggrevate pulmonary hypertension, so detection of increased pulmonary pressure is important. We report two patients:One a 42 year-old male with PAVFs treated with coil embolization, and a 42 year-old female who was treated with anticoagulants due to pulmonary hypertension.

Keyword

Arteriovenous fistula; Pulmonary; Hypertension; Embolization; Therapeutic

MeSH Terms

Adult
Anticoagulants
Arteriovenous Fistula*
Brain Abscess
Capillaries
Child
Cyanosis
Embolism, Paradoxical
Embolization, Therapeutic
Endocarditis
Epistaxis
Female
Fistula
Hemoptysis
Humans
Hypertension
Hypertension, Pulmonary*
Intracranial Embolism
Liver Cirrhosis
Male
Osteoarthropathy, Secondary Hypertrophic
Polycythemia
Pulmonary Artery
Schistosomiasis
Veins
Anticoagulants