Aortic diastolic pressure decay in congenital arteriovenous malformations.

We describe three infants with large congenital arteriovenous malformations, two intracranial and one intrathoracic, who have high output congestive heart failure but normal pulse pressures. The theoretical basis of these pulse pressure findings in contrast to those in infants with shunting secondary to the patent ductus arteriosus is presented.