Woman with rare case of AVM gets new lease of life

Mohali, May 25, 2022: A 65-year-old female suffering with a rare case of arteriovenous malformations in posterior fossa (AVM) has been treated successfully at Max Hospital, Mohali recently. AVM is a connection between arteries and veins which leads to an abnormal tangle of blood vessels due to which normal blood and oxygen circulation is affected.

A team of specialist doctors led Dr (Brig) Harjinder S Bhatoe, senior director & HOD neurosurgery at Max Hospital, Mohali operated on the patient. An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a mass of abnormal connection between arteries and veins. Such an occurrence in the brain can have catastrophic squeal like internal bleeding inside in the back of the brain where all vital life-sustaining centers are located, can result in sudden death if treatment is delayed, said Dr (Brig) Harjinder S Bhatoe, senior director & HOD neurosurgery at Max who led a specialist doctors team in treating the woman.

Sharing case details Dr Bhatoe said that the patient was a known case of hypertension and hypothyroidism and had an episode of bleeding into her cerebellum (posterior fossa) in December 2016. She was treated for a stroke, and was discharged after a few days.

The patient also contracted with COVID-19 in January and in February 2022, she was admitted to Max with sudden onset of dizziness followed by drowsiness and loss of consciousness. She was comatose on arrival and had to be intubated and put on a ventilator. Imaging showed a large cerebellar bleed, in the same location as it was in 2016. She was further evaluated by cerebral angiography which confirmed the presence of an AVM in the cerebellum. She was operated upon the next day, and the haematoma was evacuated followed by total removal of the AVM.

She showed gradual recovery in the postoperative period, and is now on regular follow up. She is conscious, can move all her limbs and can walk with support, informed Dr Bhatoe

Talking about how serious arteriovenous malformation could be, Dr Bhatoe said that AVMs have a high risk of bleeding. It can get bigger as a person grows. They often get bigger during puberty, pregnancy or after a trauma or injury. A person with an AVM is at risk for headache, fits and bleeding and, if it is large enough, it can lead to heart failure too, Dr Bhatoe asserted.