De novo hemorrhagic sporadic cavernous malformation appearance after COVID-19 respiratory infection: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) influences cavernous malformation (CM) formation or hemorrhage risk. OBSERVATIONS: The authors present the case of a 31-year-old patient who developed a hemorrhagic, de novo CM in the setting of a developmental venous anomaly within 3 months of COVID-19 respiratory disease. The authors speculate that COVID-19 disease stimulated formation of the CM through TLR4 inflammatory pathways and subsequently led to the hemorrhagic presentation because of hypercoagulability related to the disease. LESSONS: This case raises the possibility that COVID-19 may be a risk factor for de novo development of CMs in predisposed patients.