Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation as a Cause of Embolic Stroke: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) is an abnormal communication between pulmonary arteries and veins responsible for right-to-left shunting that could induce the development of embolic stroke. Summary: We describe an 82-year-old woman without history of respiratory or neurological diseases, who presented at our observation unit with acute onset of cerebral ischemia. Clinical, laboratory and radiological findings diagnosed a PAVM. Key Messages: Usually, endovascular procedures based on embolization or, alternatively, surgery represent the recommended treatment. However, both hormonal therapy and thrombolytic therapy can be used. In our patient, treatment with warfarin induced a remission of symptoms. This strategy should be tested in larger studies. i 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel