A 65-year-old male presented to the emergency department with acute dyspnea and critically low oxygen saturation (77%), which led to the discovery of an unusual pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM). Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography revealed a 2.5-cm vascular lesion connecting the right inferior pulmonary artery to the left cardiac atrium, resulting in significant right-to-left shunting. The patient's respiratory symptoms resolved completely after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical resection, demonstrating the value of comprehensive imaging in diagnosing rare vascular anomalies. This case highlights the clinical significance of unexpected vascular malformations in older adults.
Lin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.