Arteriovenous malformation in cheek and tongue aggravated by cellulitis: A case report and literature review

Arterio-venous malformation (AVM) is a congenital disorder of blood vessels, causing abnormal passage of blood between the artery and vein, which most often results in abnormal development of the vascular system in embryonic life. Arteriovenous malformations of the head and neck pose a challenging therapeutic and reconstructive problem. We present a rare case of a 22-year-old white woman, who complained of facial asymmetry on the right side, evolving after an episode of jugular cellulite of dental origin treated 6 months ago. Clinical examination revealed a palpable nodule measuring approximately 25 mm, soft, painless, of sub-mucosal location and a swollen, bluish right hemi tongue. Ultrasonography was requested, which indicated the hypothesis of a vascular lesion. The microscopic diagnosis was of arterio-venous malformation with thrombus formation. The patient has been followed for 3 months and is without signs of relapse. We treated the cellulite and closely followed the patient.