Radiological diagnosis and therapy of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae in a patient with an atypical clinical history: a case report.

Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae were first managed nonsurgically by Porstmann in 1977 with homemade metallic coils (1). During the intervening twenty years better catheterization techniques have been developed and our understanding of the clinical outcomings of these lesions has improved. This report discusses the natural history of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae, including the neurological and other complications, the importance of family screening in the detection of asymptomatic family members, the diagnostic strategy and the description of improved techniques for embolotherapy with stainless steel coils.