“From hypoxemia to healing”: A case of pulmonary AVM treated with coil and plug embolization

Pulmonary arterio-venous malformations (PAVMs) are abnormal vascular connections between pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins, preventing exposure of blood to normal pulmonary capillaries, leading to shunting. We report a successfully managed case of PAVM wherein the patient presented with exertional desaturation. A 23-year-old male with no known co-morbidities presented to out-patient department with complaints of exertional breathlessness for one month. His vitals were stable but had oxygen desaturation from 98% at rest to 90% on exertion. Chest radiography demonstrated an oval homogenous opacity in the right upper zone with smooth margins. Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) demonstrated solitary PAVM located at superior segment of right lower lobe. He was successfully managed with embolization of the lesion, leading to resolution of symptoms and exertional desaturation.