Your circulatory system abnormalities called arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Your body’s network of blood vessels is known as your vascular system. It contains your arteries, which connect your body’s tissues and organs to your heart’s supply of oxygen-rich blood veins that return blood and waste materials to the heart. Your small arteries and small veins are connected by capillaries, which are minuscule blood vessels.
An AVM is a convoluted network of veins and arteries. They are joined together but lack capillaries. That hinders an organ’s ability to circulate blood.
AVMs can occur anywhere, but the brain or spinal cord are where they appear most frequently. Most individuals with brain or spinal cord AVMs experience minimal to no significant symptoms. They may occasionally result in headaches or seizures. AVMs are unusual. AVMs are thought to form during pregnancy or shortly after delivery, while their exact cause is uncertain. Imaging tests are used by doctors to find them.
AVM symptoms can sometimes be treated with medication. Hemorrhage is the biggest risk. AVMs can be treated surgically or with targeted radiation therapy. You and your doctor must carefully consider your options because surgery carries some risk.
