Evidence of Old Hemorrhage in a Patient with a Brain Arteriovenous Malformation

A brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a tangle of blood vessels that connects arteries and veins in the brain. The arteries take oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain. Veins carry the oxygen depleted blood back to the lungs and heart. A brain AVM disrupts this vital process. Arteriovenous malformations, or AVMs, are irregular connections between arteries and veins. They can occur anywhere in the body but are most common in the brain and spinal cord. The greatest risk of an AVM is that it will rupture and cause a stroke. Your arteries carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body.