Arteriovenous Aneurysm of the Lung

Arteriovenous aneurysms in the lesser circulation produce a clear-cut clinical picture and illustrate again that we do not know how commonly con- ditions occur until they are first described. The number reported since Rodes' paper in 1938 indicate that it is by no means rare and it is a condition that can be successfully treated. It is striking, however, that although a congenital lesion, often with obvious evidence from early years, it has so far been diagnosed almost exclusively in adults. The recent interest in cyanotic congenital heart disease, which has followed the possibility of opera- tive treatment, may well reveal further cases as it did in the examples here described. It is to stress the importance of earlier recognition of a treatable condition that we are reporting two cases and reviewing the present knowledge of this disease.