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Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Arteriovenous malformation - pulmonary

Symptoms:

Many patients have no symptoms. Some patients have difficulty breathing , shortness of breath with exertion, difficulty exercising, or bloody sputum . Nosebleeds may occur in patients with HHT.

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.

Signs and tests:

The patient's blood oxygen level is low. There may be an abnormally high red blood cell count.

A chest x-ray usually shows the abnormal blood vessels. A chest CT scan confirms the diagnosis.

A pulmonary arteriogram (motion picture x-rays taken after the injection of dye) is used to make a "road map" of the abnormal blood vessels before surgery or other treatments.

• Review Date: 11/13/2006
• Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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