Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas in a pediatric patient: a case report
Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas are congenital malformations due to anomalous direct communication between arteries and veins; the incidence is 2-3 : 100,000 inhabitants. This condition is usually asymptomatic and incidentally appearing in adult imaging findings. Transcutaneous endovascular embolization is the technique of choice for treatment. The unusual presentation in a 10-year-old patient is described; she was presented to the Emergency Department with dyspnea, cough, central cyanosis and digital clubbing; chest X-ray with images suggestive of parahilar nodules, arterial blood gases with increased alveolar arterial gradient. The high resolution computed tomography of the thorax revealed pulmonary arteriovenous malformation in the right parahilar region not associated with Rendu-Osler- Weber disease. The patient was treated with transcutaneous endovascular embolization, and after a year and a half of follow-up there were no relapses. There are few reported cases of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas in the pediatric age.