An 11-year-old child presented with chronic occipital headache and vomiting. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a cystic mass lesion in the right occipital region. Magnetic resonance imaging brain revealed a cystic mass lesion which was hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. A mural nodule was noted in the inferolateral wall of the lesion. CT angiography revealed small arteriovenous malformations (AVM) related to the lesion. The AVM associated with the cyst was excised. The patient recovered well. Cystic AVM is a rare vascular lesion, and only five such cases have been reported in the past. AVMs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the brain, especially when associated with a mural nodule.
Keywords: Arteriovenous malformation; cystic lesion; occipital headache.