PULMONARY ARTERIOVENOUS-FISTULA - A RARE CAUSE OF DYSPNEA AND CYANOSIS IN ADULTS

The authors report the case of a pulmonary arteriovenous fistula prese nting with dyspnoea and cyanosis in a young adult. The malformation wa s situated on the proximal pulmonary vessels and was cured by surgical correction. The diagnostic value of the clinical signs and complement ary investigations of this rare conditions, often detected during adul hood, is discussed. The functional tolerance of the condition is often variable. Oxygen desaturation of arterial blood indicates a right-to- left shunt. Pulmonary angiography enables visualisation of the lesions and guides surgical management. The prevalence of complications of th is condition is not well known, but the potential severity is an argum ent for therapeutic intervention. Embolisation techniques are developi ng but there is a risk of a systemic embolism. Surgery is the referenc e for the treatment of proximal fistulae, its curative effect being im mediate and definitive.