what is an arteriovenous malformation (avm), and is it hereditary?

Question

I have a question about arteriovenous malformations; are they birth defects or hereditary?

Answer 1

Can be: Arteriovenous malformation or avm is an abnormal connection between veins and arteries, usually congenital. Sometimes it is hereditary.

Answer 2

Check NIH: Check nih's "nationalinstitute of neurological disorders and stroke": http://www.Ninds.Nih.Gov/disorders/chiari/detail_chiari.Htm all the facts you need are there.

Answer 3

Head MRI: Head MRI will most clearly show the chiari. A cervical spine MRI can also show the chiari and any associated fluid collection in the spinal cord.

Answer 4

Sometimes nothing: Sometimes nothing, although seizures and headaches are possible. Depending on the severity weakness in the head and face, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, and nausea are also possible.

Answer 5

Get evaluated: Chiari malformation diagnosis requires a head and cervical MRI without contrast. In confirmed cases, a lumbar MRI can assess for a tethered spinal cord which may need to be released at some point. The most common symptom is headache but dizziness, balance problems, and tingling in arms/hands can also occur.

Answer 6

Hemorrhage: Most of the damage of an arteriovenous malformation occurs when the blood vessel or vessels are spontaneously ruptured and bleed into the brain, causing pressure and damage to the brain. The same can occur with an av malformation in the brain stem or spine.

Answer 7

Multiple ways: The avm can compress nearby tissue and cause a stroke, or interfere with blood flow and also create tissue damage. If rupture occurs there can be a subarachnoid hemorrhage, with both local and more widespread problems. Brain avm's may cause seizures. Small avm's are unlikely to be an issue, but rarely, the ones in the spinal cord can cause paralysis.

Answer 8

Depends: There are a variety of mechanisms that lead to vascular malformations. Some are related to familial predispositions while other are purely sporadic errors in the process of development.

Answer 9

Anomalous Vessels: An avm is a congenital disorder of the veins and arteries that make up the vascular system. It occurs from a developmental error where the arteries and veins do not develop their normal makeup, resulting in the abnormal tangle of vessels and no intervening capillary bed. See: http://en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/arteriovenous_malformation.

what is an arteriovenous malformation (avm), and is it hereditary?

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