Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations

We report on two patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVM) . An almost asymptomatic young man and an elderly woman with severe dyspnoe a illustrate paradigmatically various aspects of the clinical manifestation , diagnostic approach and treatment of this rare disorder. New aspects with respect to genetics, diagnosis and therapy are discussed. PAVM are often m anifestations of hereditary teleangiectasia, which also affect blood vessel s of the skin, mucous membranes, brain and liver. Transcatheter embolothera py is a safe, effective and minimally invasive treatment option, which seem s to be replacing surgical resection as first-line therapy in many cases.