Arteriovenous malformation of the duodenum.

In their report of a 55-year-old woman with an arteriovenous malformation of the duodenum, the authors illustrate some of the interesting clinical features of this uncommon cause of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding. The lesion was treated by surgical resection. Arteriovenous malformations have been classified according to location, age of the patient and family history. In this patient the malformation was considered to be a type 2 or congenital lesion. The authors review the literature on arteriovenous malformations and emphasize the use of selective visceral angiography for diagnosing arteriovenous malformations of the gastrointestinal tract.