Imaging features and transcatheter treatment of a giant pulmonary arteriovenous malformation in an elderly patient

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) comprise an anomalous communication between the pulmonary arterial and systemic circulation. The drainage is usually into one of the pulmonary veins, although rare instances of direct drainage into the left atrium or inferior vena cava have been reported. The result is a high-flow, low-resistance, right-toleft shunt. Although considered uncommon, PAVMs are being diagnosed with increasing frequency in this era of enhanced cross-sectional imaging with CT for lung screening. There is a strong association between PAVMs and hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT); PAVMs are more commonly found in females, with a female to male ratio of 8:1. These have varying clinical presentation, with most symptomatic PAVMs being diagnosed in the first three decades of life. The most common mode of presentation is dyspnoea on exertion. Other reported symptoms are epistaxis, chest pain, cough and, in the event of rupture, haemoptysis. Endocarditis, stroke and brain abscess formation occur frequently in patients with undiagnosed HHT with PAVMs. A 76-year-old female, with a presumed clinical diagnosis of asthma, presented to the emergency department with worsening shortness of breath. The imaging studies revealed a giant PAVM and a radionuclide scan demonstrated a large right-to-left shunt, likely accounting for her symptoms. She underwent successful transcatheter embolization (TCE) with a vascular plug performed by the interventional radiology team. The aim of this case report is to describe the imaging findings and TCE treatment of a giant PAVM.