Arteriovenous malformations
| Arteriovenous malformation | |
|---|---|
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| Micrograph of an arteriovenous malformation in the brain. HPS stain. | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Neurosurgery |
| ICD-10 | Q27.3, Q28.0, Q28.2 |
| ICD-9-CM | 747.6, 747.81 |
| DiseasesDB | 15235 |
| MedlinePlus | 000779 |
| eMedicine | topic list |
| MeSH | D001165 |
Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins, bypassing the capillary system. This vascular anomaly is widely known because of its occurrence in the central nervous system (usually cerebral AVM), but can appear in any location. Although many AVMs are asymptomatic, they can cause intense pain or bleeding or lead to other serious medical problems.
AVMs are usually congenital and belong to the RASopathies. The genetic transmission patterns of AVM, if any, are unknown. AVM is not generally thought to be an inherited disorder, unless in the context of a specific hereditary syndrome.
Symptoms of AVM vary according to the location of the malformation. Roughly 88% of people affected with AVM are asymptomatic; often the malformation is discovered as part of an autopsy or during treatment of an unrelated disorder (called in medicine "an incidental finding"); in rare cases its expansion or a micro-bleed from an AVM in the brain can cause epilepsy, neurological deficit or pain.
The most general symptoms of a cerebral AVM include headaches and epileptic seizures, with more specific symptoms occurring that normally depend on the location of the malformation and the individual. Such possible symptoms include:
Cerebral AVMs may present in a number of ways
In the lungs, pulmonary arteriovenous malformations have no symptoms in up to 29% of cases.
Can occur due to autosomal dominant diseases, such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
In a normal functioning human body, arteries carry blood away from the heart to the lungs or the rest of the body, where the blood passes through capillaries, and veins return the blood to the heart. An AVM interferes with this process by forming a direct connection of the arteries and veins. AVMs can cause intense pain and lead to serious medical problems. Although AVMs are often associated with the brain and spinal cord, they can develop in any part of the body.
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Wikipedia