|
|
||
|
Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) are vascular lesions that result from faulty development of blood vessels in the body. There are several different types of AVMs. They mostly occur as an isolated abnormality in an otherwise healthy individual. An AVM may also be associated with other congenital abnormalities.
AVMs are usually only discovered if they cause symptoms for a patient. Patients may suffer from epilepsy, haemorrhage (excess bleeding), ischaemia (obstruction of the blood supply) or some other neurological deficit if the AVM is in the brain. In the body, patients may suffer from ischemia, haemorrhage, ulceration of the tissues supplied by the vessels. The size and location of AVMs are discovered by using Doppler, CT or MRI scans
Asymptomatic AVMs are not treated. For those with serious complications the treatment of choice is sclerotherapy using transcatheter embolisation. Small catheters are passed into the AVM and materials such as metal coils, foam, and glue are passed into vessels to obstruct them and restore normal blood vessel supply. In some cases complete resection may be possible by surgery. For those people whose AVM is not suitable for any form of corrective procedure the patient receives symptomatic treatment only. |
An angiogram of an arm AVM showing the extensive abnormal vascularisation. |
|
