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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Shunt Surgery, Right Heart Catheterization, and Vascular Morphometry in a Rat Model for Flow-induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Published on: February 11, 2017
Two vascular arteriovenous malformations with left-to-right shunting and right-heart failure in a single patient
Jörn Tongers1, Christian Widera1, Tibor Kempf1
1Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
Abstract:
Arteriovenous malformations may lead to right-heart failure in cases of hemodynamically significant left-to-right shunting. Here, we report the case of a 37-year-old female who presented with congestive heart failure related to an isolated anomalous connection of the left pulmonary vein to the left brachiocephalic vein (partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection). After successful reconnection to the left appendage and clinical improvement, the patient once again developed progressive signs of heart failure. Several arteriovenous malformations were identified in the liver as the underlying cause of the patient's high-output heart failure, and the patient was retrospectively diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Target embolization led to right-ventricular remodeling, and persistent clinical improvement. To our knowledge, this is the first report of two rare AV-malformations with left-to-right shunting and progressive right-heart failure in a single individual.
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