Acquired pulmonary arteriovenous malformation associated with bronchiectasis: a case report

Abstract

Abstract Background Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are mostly caused by congenitally abnormal shunts between pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins. Case presentation A 74-year-old Japanese woman with a history of bronchiectasis was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea on exertion. Pulmonary angiography and reconstructed three-dimensional contrast-enhanced computed tomography images showed shunts between pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins, indicating a diagnosis of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. Coil embolization of the shunts was successful. Conclusions Our findings imply that bronchiectasis can cause pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, and thus patients who present with hypoxemia with bronchiectasis should be carefully evaluated.