Arteriovenous Malformations

Question: i have a question about arteriovenous malformations? i have to do a project on a disease that is caused by this and i was wondering exactly what happens that causes the arteriovenous malformations. an illustration of picture would be really great

Answer: AVMs are congenital--they happen during development of the fetus, or sometimes shortly after birth, but mostly they happen during embryogenesis and the causes are not very well understood--it is generally thought to happen because of a somatic mutation (something that happens spontaneously after fertilization, as opposed to something that is passed on from the parents). Many people have AVMs their whole life and never know it--some are found incidentally when imaging for entirely different problems takes place, and some are discovered when they eventually do cause problems. Basically, an AVM is a tangle of arteries and veins. The problems with them are that 1) they can bleed, because the pressure in the arteries is greater than the pressure in the veins, so they can get overloaded and burst, and 2) blood is not supposed to cross over like that between arteries and veins, so there is a risk of either venous 'steal' where not enough oxygenated blood is delivered to an area of the body where the AVM is located, or that an infection can be passed from the periphery with that tangle as a nidus. There are some pictures here, both of the effects of AVM on various body parts and of arteriograms of the AVMs themselves: http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic169.ht…

Question: How serious is Brain Arteriovenous Malformation? My cousin was just hospitalized because she was having bad migraines, and when her mother took her to the hospital she passed out and they found out that Brain Arteriovenous Malformation was the cause. They kept her in a coma because the doctors are afraid that her blood pressure will rise if she wakes up, with tubes and stuff in her. She's only 17 years old. What is her chance of survival? She is not my 1st cousin, she is the daughter of my mom's cousin, so we don't know too many details right now. How can this be treated?

Answer: Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) can be quite serious. Only the attending doctor can say what the chances of survival are. But the reason why they are keeping her sedated, ie calm, is to help prevent any ruptures from occuring due to stress. They will try to limit bleeding, control any seizures, and, if possible, remove the AVM. They might have to perform surgery, which can vary from embolization to full open brain surgery. Radiation therapy might be an option.

Question: what are pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (p-avm's)? my son is diagnosed as having hundreds of these avm's in his lungs but the dr's say it's so rare that there is no research done on it. If anyone has any insight, I will be eternally grateful!

Answer: I've searched the web and I've found the following pages that I think will help you find the information that you need. God bless you and your son in your impending challenge. http://www.birthmarks.us/pulmonary_AVM1.… http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/conten… http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic399.… http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/…

Question: Does anyone know something about arteriovenous malformation?

Answer: It is a rare genetic condition that causes tangles in the blood vessels. My aunt had an arterial malformation in her brain stem. I was checked due to family relations. I did quite a bit of research on the subject. What do you need to know?

Question: What tests can be done that would be able to detect if I have a Arteriovenous Malformation or not?

Answer: Why do you suspect one? Are you talking of one in the brain or elsewhere? In brain: MR angiography or CT angiography are most commonly used -but there has to be good reasons for doing them.

Question: Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) in the uterus...? I was diagnosed with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) in the uterus in Oct. the doctors said that it may or may not allow me to carry a child in the future. I have research this topic and found out that it may cause you to hemmorage.Just wondering if anyone had heard of this or what it can cause. Thanks! ~Joanna

Answer: Be educated about what the doctors tell you. I knew a woman who went into the hospital to have her second child and had a uterine artery tear and hemorrhage. she kept telling the doctors that this pain was different and something was wrong, but they just get giving her pain medicine. Finally the artery ruptured and she was rushed into surgery where they found a liter of blood inside the abdominal cavity. she had to have transfusions and died twice on the table, obviously they told her she can't have any more kids. just be careful and don't take what the doctors say lightly. good luck.

Question: What Is an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)? how dangerous! Im a 32 years male!!

Answer: A cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a congenital disorder of blood vessels within the brain, characterized by tangle(s) of veins and arteries. While an arteriovenous malformation can occur elsewhere in the body, this article discusses malformations found in the brain

Question: arterious venous malformations? pictures or diagrams of arteriovenous malformations

Answer: Hope this is enough...

Question: Embolization: Glue vs Wire? Can anyone comment on the efficacy of glue embolization vs wire embolization for arteriovenous malformations located in the brain and the comparative risks for each procedure?

Answer: I can offer some websites which discuss the pros and cons of each method.

Question: How would I go about sending Senator Tim Johnson from South Dakota a personal letter? In Dec. 2005 he suffered a life-threatening brain hemorrhage, the bleeding in the senator's brain was the result of pressure from blood vessels that are too close together, a condition known as congenital arteriovenous malformation. I too suffered a brain hemorrhage. Mine occured in March 4, 2004. 9 months later I had major back surgery to remove an AVM - Arterio-Venous Malformation, that was in my spine. I wanted to ask him to help to make my dream a reality. I have sent in an app. to The Extreme Makeover Home Edition to have them come and build a dream house for my husband. He is always putting others needs before his own and this is my way of saying 'Thanks' for helping to save my life when I had the brain hemorrhage. You can read my story at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/nomi… If anyone has an address to how I can get my letter to him PLEASE let me know. Thanks!

Answer: Google him.