Acute paraplegia due to spinal arteriovenous fistula in two patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia

Eur J Pediatr. 2009 Feb;168(2):135-9. doi: 10.1007/s00431-008-0863-2. Epub 2008 Nov 20.

Abstract

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by recurrent epistaxis, cutaneous telangiectasia, and visceral arteriovenous malformations (AVM). Of these, spinal AVM is a rare manifestation that concerns mainly children. In this report, we describe two cases of spinal AVM revealed by acute paraparesis due to subarachnoid hemorrhage in children with HHT and reviewed the literature on spinal arteriovenous malformations in HHT. In most of the cases reported, the clinical presentation was acute in the pediatric population and insidious during adulthood. The prognosis of spinal AVM mainly depends on the presence or not of medullar signs and symptoms and on the delay before treatment. In conclusion, any child with a family history of HHT should be considered at risk for spinal AVM in order to improve management of such complications and to decrease the risk of neurological sequellae.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Arteriovenous Fistula / complications*
  • Arteriovenous Fistula / diagnosis
  • Arteriovenous Fistula / genetics*
  • Arteriovenous Fistula / therapy
  • Child
  • Chromosome Aberrations
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Embolization, Therapeutic
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Genes, Dominant
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Neurologic Examination
  • Paraplegia / etiology*
  • Spinal Cord / blood supply*
  • Spinal Cord / pathology
  • Spinal Cord Ischemia / diagnosis
  • Spinal Cord Ischemia / genetics
  • Spinal Cord Ischemia / therapy
  • Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases / diagnosis
  • Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases / genetics
  • Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases / therapy
  • Telangiectasia, Hereditary Hemorrhagic / complications*
  • Telangiectasia, Hereditary Hemorrhagic / diagnosis
  • Telangiectasia, Hereditary Hemorrhagic / genetics
  • Telangiectasia, Hereditary Hemorrhagic / therapy