Intrapleural rupture of a pulmonary arteriovenous fistula occurring just beneath the pleura: Report of a case

We report herein a rare case of a 21-year-old man with Rendu-Osler-Weber disease, otherwise known as hemorrhagic teleangiectasia, in whom a spontaneous hemothorax occurred following the rupture of one of multiple pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae (PAVF). An emergency life-saving operation was performed which revealed the ruptured fistula lying just beneath the visceral pleura. This case demonstrates that patients in whom a pulmonary angiogram shows an arteriovenous fistula lying just beneath the visceral pleura should undergo prophylactic surgery to avoid a life-threatening emergency, whenever possible.