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Comprehensive Endovascular and Open Surgical Management of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations
Published on: October 20, 2017
Cerebral arteriovenous malformation presenting with polycythemia vera: A case report and literature review
Mairaj T Sami1, Bradley N Bohnstedt, Eyas M Hattab
1Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Introduction:
Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) usually present with headache, hemorrhage, or seizure. Erythropoietin (EPO) has demonstrated protective effects against ischemia within the CNS.
Presentation Of Case:
The authors report a patient with a cerebral AVM and concurrent polycythemia associated with elevated serum EPO. Systemic EPO levels declined acutely after resection of the patient's AVM, and the polycythemia resolved in the following months.
Discussion:
Polycythemia secondary to a cerebral AVM, in the absence of extra-cerebral vascular lesions, has not been described in the literature.
Conclusion:
The authors explore the mechanisms by which this patient's cerebral AVM could have induced EPO production within the brain, manifesting as polycythemia.
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Disorders of Erythrocytes
Erythrocyte disorders can be broadly categorized into two main types: anemic and polycythemic conditions.
A low oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to the loss, lower production, or destruction of erythrocytes is termed anemia. Hemorrhagic anemia, for example, occurs when bleeding from an external wound or internal ulcer reduces erythrocyte counts.
On the other...

