Acquired uterine arteriovenous malformation—Does it really exist? A case report

ABSTRACT: Acquired arteriovenous malformations (AVM) of the uterus can cause life-threatening vaginal bleeding and are associated with previous pregnancy, abortion or pelvic trauma. The pathophysiology is not well understood and the diagnosis is usually made by greyscale ultrasound often with nonspecific imaging findings, hence making it difficult to establish a correct diagnosis and therefore also the true incidence. However, case reports have previously described a connection between AVM formation and placental invasive disorders. In this report we demonstrate a case of a woman diagnosed with an AVM by ultrasound, presenting with menorrhagia after a termination of pregnancy, resulting in an emergency hysterectomy where subsequently a vascular malformation was found in conjunction with a remnant of a placenta increta and a placental site nodule. We hence suggest the hypothesis that these conditions are part of the same pathological process in the spectrum of abnormal invasive placental disorders, and that in the setting of previous trophoblastic processes, vascular malformations may mimic AVMs and ought not in fact to be considered as true AVMs.