Haemothorax in a Pregnant Woman Secondary to Rupture of a Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation

Abstract

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are abnormal communications between the arteries and veins of the pulmonary vasculature leading to a right-to-left shunt. We report the case of a pregnant patient who presented with chest pain revealing a haemothorax secondary to the rupture of an arteriovenous malformation. The diagnosis was made during arteriography after simultaneous performance of an urgent caesarean section and thoracic drainage.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• hemothorax
• pulmonary arteriovenous malformation