Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations presenting with upper back pain in an adult: A case report and literature review

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are the abnormal connections between the pulmonary artery and pulmonary veins branches without intervening in the pulmonary vascular bed. Although the most common cause of PAVMs is hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, the etiology of single PAVMs appears to be idiopathic. Dyspnea, cyanosis, cerebrovascular events, and brain abscess are the common clinical manifestations of these lesions, though they may present with a nonspecific symptom as upper back pain. Computed tomography is the gold standard investigation for diagnosing pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, and demonstrating their size and extent before therapy. Transcatheter embolization is the first-choice treatment for patients without severe complications. Surgical intervention is reserved for the lesions not amenable to embolotherapy.