Biomaterial Database

Posterior mediastinal arteriovenous malformation with atypical color Doppler sonographic findings. 2003

Shih-Lung Cheng, and Hao-Chien Wang, and Pan-Chyr Yang

Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan.

An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is an anomaly of capillary development that results in a direct connection between branches of an artery and veins, with no intervening capillary network. A definite diagnosis of AVM is usually made with angiography. We report the case of a posterior mediastinal AVM found on routine sonography in a 64-year-old woman with neglected hypertension and severe back pain. Color Doppler imaging showed 2 adjoined vascular structures without a typical mosaic-like flow pattern, and spectral Doppler analysis showed low-resistance flow and arteriovenous shunting in 2 adjoined vascular structures. The diagnosis was subsequently confirmed by angiography. Because disastrous bleeding could result if needle biopsy were performed inadvertently in the case of a suspected mediastinal AVM, we suggest that color Doppler sonography be attempted if there is an adequate acoustic window.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008482	Mediastinum	A membrane in the midline of the THORAX of mammals. It separates the lungs between the STERNUM in front and the VERTEBRAL COLUMN behind. It also surrounds the HEART, TRACHEA, ESOPHAGUS, THYMUS, and LYMPH NODES.
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D004621	Embolization, Therapeutic	A method of hemostasis utilizing various agents such as Gelfoam, silastic, metal, glass, or plastic pellets, autologous clot, fat, and muscle as emboli. It has been used in the treatment of spinal cord and INTRACRANIAL ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATIONS, renal arteriovenous fistulas, gastrointestinal bleeding, epistaxis, hypersplenism, certain highly vascular tumors, traumatic rupture of blood vessels, and control of operative hemorrhage.	Embolotherapy,Therapeutic Embolization,Embolizations, Therapeutic,Embolotherapies,Therapeutic Embolizations
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001165	Arteriovenous Malformations	Abnormal formation of blood vessels that shunt arterial blood directly into veins without passing through the CAPILLARIES. They usually are crooked, dilated, and with thick vessel walls. A common type is the congenital arteriovenous fistula. The lack of blood flow and oxygen in the capillaries can lead to tissue damage in the affected areas.	Arteriovenous Malformation,Malformation, Arteriovenous,Malformations, Arteriovenous
D018615	Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color	Ultrasonography applying the Doppler effect, with the superposition of flow information as colors on a gray scale in a real-time image. This type of ultrasonography is well-suited to identifying the location of high-velocity flow (such as in a stenosis) or of mapping the extent of flow in a certain region.	Doppler Ultrasonography, Color,Ultrasonography, Color Doppler,Color Doppler Ultrasonography,Color Ultrasonography, Doppler,Doppler Color Ultrasonography,Ultrasonography, Doppler Color