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Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula

Definition:
This condition is an abnormal passageway (fistula) between an artery and vein that occurs in the blood vessels of the lungs. The result is a shunting of blood, and thus the blood is not oxygenated properly.

Alternative Names:
Arteriovenous malformation - pulmonary

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas are congenital malformations (present at birth) that result when the blood vessels of the lung do not develop normally.

Patients with Rendu-Osler-Weber disease (ROWD), also called hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasis (HHT), frequently have abnormal blood vessel development at many sites in the body, including the lungs, brain, nasal passages, liver, and gastrointestinal organs. This condition is slightly more common in women than in men.



Review Date: 2/6/2003
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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