Arteriovenous fistulas - their clinical pattern and X-ray image

Based on the data of 15 patients the typical radiological signs of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas, their differential diagnostic implications, clinical signs and symptoms and management are reviewed. In addition, lung function parameters of 9 patients are presented. The critical role of pulmonary angiography and sequential dynamic CT for the diagnosis is stressed, particularly in those cases in which conventional chest radiographs and tomographies fail to show characteristic abnormalities. Since pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas tend to increase in size and cause complications, they should be subjected to intermediate treatment, even if they are of no haemodynamic relevance. (orig.)