scholarly journals Follow-up of pulmonary right-to-left shunt in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1750-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronique M.M. Vorselaars ◽  
Sebastiaan Velthuis ◽  
Repke J. Snijder ◽  
Cornelis J.J. Westermann ◽  
Jan A. Vos ◽  
...  

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are associated with severe neurological complications in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Transthoracic contrast echocardiography (TTCE) is recommended for screening of pulmonary right-to-left shunts (RLS). Although growth of PAVMs is shown in two small studies, no studies on follow-up with TTCE exist.All HHT patients underwent a second TTCE 5 years after initial screening. Patients with a history of PAVM embolisation were excluded. Pulmonary RLS grade on TTCE after 5 years was compared to the grade at screening.200 patients (53.5% female, mean±sd age at screening 44.7±14.1 years) were included. Increase in RLS grade occurred in 36 (18%) patients, of whom six (17%) underwent embolisation. The change in grade between screening and follow-up was not more than one grade. Of patients with nontreatable pulmonary RLS at screening (n=113), 14 (12.4%) underwent embolisation. In patients without pulmonary RLS at initial screening (n=87), no treatable PAVMs developed during follow-up.Within 5 years, no treatable PAVMs developed in HHT patients without pulmonary RLS at initial screening. Increase in pulmonary RLS grade occurred in 18% of patients, and never increased by more than one grade. Of patients with nontreatable pulmonary RLS at initial screening, 12% underwent embolisation.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 204589401878669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie L. Mowers ◽  
Lynn Sekarski ◽  
Andrew J. White ◽  
R. Mark Grady

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) often occur in children with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). A 14-year longitudinal study of PAVMs in children with HHT was undertaken to assess the prevalence, the clinical impact, and progression of these malformations. This was a retrospective, single-center study from May 2002 to December 2016 of 129 children with HHT diagnosed using Curacao criteria and/or confirmed by genetic testing. Transthoracic contrast echocardiography (TTCE) was the primary screening modality in all patients and PAVMs were diagnosed based on Barzilai criteria. Moderately positive TTCE (Barzilai criteria ≥ 2) was confirmed with subsequent contrast chest CT. New PAVMs were diagnosed with a positive TTCE after an initial negative TTCE. Embolization of PAVMs were performed according to HHT consensus guidelines. Of 129 children with HHT, 76 (59%) were found to have PAVMs. Sixty-seven (88%) were positive for PAVMs on initial screening. Of 63 children without PAVMs on initial screening, 31 were followed for >1 year. Nine of the 31 (29%) developed new PAVMs after initial negative study. Thirty-eight (50%) of the total 76 children with PAVMs had or developed lesions large enough to be treated with embolization. Nine patients with PAVMs initially too small to be treated with embolization, developed progression of disease and ultimately were treated with embolization over time. The majority, 60% (23/38), of the children with large PAVMs had no related clinical symptoms. After embolization, 21% (8/38), of patients underwent repeat interventions. Genetic diagnosis, age, and gender were not associated with risk of having PAVM nor with need for repeat interventions. Nearly 60% of children with HHT develop PAVMs. The risk for new PAVMs to develop, small PAVMs to become large, and previously embolized PAVMs to require further intervention remains throughout childhood. Thus, children with HHT require continued follow-up until adulthood.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Ma ◽  
Bing Jie ◽  
Dong Yu ◽  
Ling-Ling Li ◽  
Sen Jiang

Abstract Background The life-threatening haemorrhagic complications of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are extremely rare, and only described in isolated cases. This study was designed to comprehensively investigate management of ruptured PAVMs. Methods We retrospectively assessed clinical and imaging data of ruptured PAVMs to summarize incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes following embolisation between January 2008 and January 2021. Results Eighteen of 406 (4.4%) patients with PAVMs developed haemorrhagic complications. Twelve of 18 patients were clinically diagnosed with hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Haemorrhagic complications occurred with no clear trigger in all cases. Eight of 18 patients (44.4%) were initially misdiagnosed or had undergone early ineffective treatment. 28 lesions were detected, with 89.3% of them located in peripheral lung. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed indirect signs to indicate ruptured PAVMs in all cases. Lower haemoglobin concentrations were associated with the diameter of afferent arteries in the ruptured lesions. Successful embolotherapy was achieved in all cases. After embolotherapy, arterial oxygen saturation improved and bleeding was controlled (P < 0.05). The mean follow-up time was 3.2 ± 2.5 years (range, 7 months to 10 years). Conclusions Life threatening haemorrhagic complications of PAVMs are rare, they usually occur without a trigger and can be easily misdiagnosed. HHT and larger size of afferent arteries are major risk factors of these complications. CTA is a useful tool for diagnosis and therapeutic guidance for ruptured PAVMs. Embolotherapy is an effective therapy for this life-threatening complication.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Xiangning Fan ◽  
Jonathan Choy ◽  
Miriam Shanks ◽  
Dilini P. Vethanayagam

Introduction: Patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) are at risk for pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs). Extracardiac right-to-left shunts due to PAVMs can lead to systemic emboli; clinical sequelae including strokes and brain abscesses. Regular screening is required, with appropriate medical/interventional management to alleviate morbidity and mortality from PAVMs.  International HHT guidelines recommend standardized transthoracic contrast echocardiogram (TTCE) with agitated saline (in an HHT Foundation-accredited laboratory) as the initial screening test, and, when needed, non-contrast computerized tomography of the chest (CT Chest) to follow up on a positive TTCE. Case presentation: A 40-year-old woman was seen for evaluation of HHT and referred for TTCE as part of her PAVM screen. Following administration of agitated saline, she developed a headache, visual changes in her right eye, and right arm weakness, followed by posturing and stiffness in her right arm. Her symptoms resolved after five minutes, consistent with a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Clinical impact: Protocols at our institution were amended following this index case and echocardiography laboratory protocols were adjusted to use a maximum of 0.1 cc air to 9.9 cc saline for TTCE studies in the HHT population. Only the attending echocardiologist who is familiar with possible systemic air embolism during bubble contrast echocardiography in patients with HHT should perform agitation and infusion of contrast and should directly review the images for appropriate visualization during the exam for this test to be appropriately interpreted. Paradoxical emboli due to right-to-left shunt are important to recognize. Best practice for PAVM screening in HHT patients includes use of standardized protocols for the performance and reporting of TTCE in the evaluation of pulmonary shunts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Masashi Shimohira ◽  
Kenji Iwata ◽  
Kengo Ohta ◽  
Yusuke Sawada ◽  
Takeshi Hashimoto ◽  
...  

A 28-year-old man with a history of coil embolization of multiple pulmonary arteriovenous malformations presented with hemoptysis 11 years after initial embolization. A cavity lesion in the left upper lobe, which was accompanied by deformed coils and ground-glass opacity, was considered responsible for hemoptysis. Embolization of the bronchial artery was performed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujiao Deng ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Guangyi Wang ◽  
Jian Cao ◽  
Shengshu Wang ◽  
...  

Objective: To explore the preferred test to screen for pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) and to predict the probability of interventional embolization.Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study evaluating patients with idiopathic PAVMs from 2009 to 2019. After clinical evaluation, a total of 105 patients were studied, including 71 patients with positive digital subtraction pulmonary angiography (DSPA) findings and 34 with negative DSPA findings. The following patient data were assessed: blood test, chest radiograph, transthoracic contrast echocardiography (TTCE), and DSPA findings.Results: The majority of patients with idiopathic PAVMs were female (66.2% with positive DSPA findings). We found a good κ-coefficient of 0.77 with strong consistency for inter observer agreement concerning the pulmonary right-to-left shunt (RLS) grade on TTCE, which was superior to conventional chest radiographs. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the radiographic features for PAVMs on DSPA was 0.83 (95% CI 0.64–1.0) and 0.44 for the possibility of embolization (95% CI 0.19–0.70). The PPV of the shunt grade of PAVMs on DSPA was 0.14 (95% CI 0.01–0.29) for grade 1, 0.74 (95% CI 0.60–0.88) for grade 2, and 0.97 (95% CI 0.92–1.0) for grade 3. The PPVs of pulmonary shunt grades 2 and 3 on TTCE for the possibility of embolization for PAVMs were 0.21 (95% CI, 0.05–0.36) and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.79–0.99), respectively.Conclusion: TTCE is the preferred screening test for PAVMs. The pulmonary RLS grade on TTCE not only identifies the likelihood of PAVMs but also predicts the probability for embolization.


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