Percutaneous Transcatheter Embolization of a Large Pulmonary Arteriovenous Fistula with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug

Abstract

Percutaneous transcatheter embolization has become the treatment of choice for pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas (PAVFs), in most cases replacing surgical intervention. However, while "classic" devices, such as intravascular coils and detachable balloons, have proved to be successful for interventional occlusions of small or medium-sized PAVFs, they are not ideal in larger fistulas because of the risk for embolization to the systemic circulation. We describe the case of a 61-year-old woman with a symptomatic huge solitary pulmonary arteriovenous fistula (4.5 cm in diameter), occupying part of the lung in the lower right lobe with two feeding arteries (10 and 4 mm in diameter, respectively), who underwent successful transcatheter closure with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug, a new device designed for the occlusion of vascular abnormalities.