Endovascular treatment of arteriovenous malformation

Vascular anomalies are common congenital or neonatal abnormalities. According to the approved classification of vascular lesions by Glowacki and Mulliken, hemangiomas and vascular malformations are distinguishable. Hemangiomas usually appear during the first days or weeks after birth and grow faster than the whole body of the infant. They are proliferating benign tumors that often involute. The opposite of hemangiomas, vascular malformations are present at birth, grow commensurately with the patient, demonstrate normal endothelial turnover, and never involute. The case of a young woman with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) located on the left side of her face beneath the lower lip is described. The patient did not have any specific complaints except the cosmetic effect, which was a reddish and bluish discoloration of the skin over the lesion. The AVM was embolized with polyvinyl alcohol, and no subsequent surgery was performed. Follow-up ultrasound examination after a 12-month period showed no flow within the lesion area.