A 36-year-old member asked:

What sort of problem is an arteriovenous malformation?

4 doctor answers9 doctors weighed in
Dr. Pam Yoder
Specializes in Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Vascular: I will refer this to experts in the blood vessels. Thanks for asking this important question.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Michael Chen
Neurology 24 years experience
Brain blood vessel: Generally people are born with brain arteriovenous malformations (avm). If found by accident, any kind of treatment should be considered carefully and deliberately. Options include radiosurgery, embolization and resection. If there has been bleeding associated with the avm, some combination of endovascular embolization and surgical removal is necessary. Expert evaluation is highly recommended.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Michael Jones
A Verified Doctoranswered
Family Medicine 24 years experience
Other places: Another common location is in the colon, which can lead to intermittent rectal bleeding and sometimes requires treatment by cauterization.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Tibor Becske
Neurology 33 years experience
Short circuit: An avm is a short circuit between arteries and veins without capillaries in-between. Depending on size, location, flow, and other characteristics, it can be silent or it can cause symptoms. Ultimately, it can bleed and be life threatening.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

Related questions

A 42-year-old member asked:
What are the treatments for an arteriovenous malformation?
1 doctor answer3 doctors weighed in
A 44-year-old member asked:
What is the survival rate of an avm (arteriovenous malformation)?
1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
A 33-year-old member asked:
Can you tell me the survival rate of an avm (arteriovenous malformation)?
2 doctor answers3 doctors weighed in
A 36-year-old member asked:
Can you tell me what frontoparietal arteriovenous malformation (avm) mean?
1 doctor answer2 doctors weighed in
A 44-year-old member asked:
I was recently diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation. How to treat this?
2 doctor answers2 doctors weighed in
Last updated Jul 16, 2014
Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere.
$44 video appointments with $19/month membership*
*Billed $57 every 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Disclaimer:

Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.