A case of arteriovenous malformation of the tongue

Abstract

Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are developmental errors that show a high complication rate because these lesions are hemodynamically active. AVM of the tongue is rare. Treatment for these lesions are difficult and recurrence rates are high. We report a 26-year-old woman with an AVM of the tongue who consulted a physician due to severe bleeding from the right side of the tongue. The lesion was diagnosed by angiography and at first, the feeder artery was determined to be the dilated right lingual artery only. The nidus of the AVM was large enough that surgical resection would require reconstruction of the local flap. Therefore, treatment by embolization was chosen. Embolization by coils was performed peripherally to this artery. Angiography was performed again and showed the left lingual artery also fed this nidus. It was also embolized by coils. After embolization, bleeding from the tongue was stopped and at 22 months postoperatively there arc no signs of hemorrhaging.