Endovascular Treatment of a Patient with Arteriovenous Malformation in the Parotid Region

This report describes a rare case of a patient with arteriovenous malformation in the parotid region that received endovascular treatment. A 44-year-old female who presented with cardiac murmur in the left neck on close examination was referred to our hospital. Physical findings included left jugular vein distention, swelling of the left neck, and vascular murmur on auscultation. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging revealed flow voids in dilated vessels in the left parotid region. Angiography showed a high flow shunt between the dilated external carotid artery and the external jugular vein. The patient was diagnosed as having AVM in the parotid region due to AVM localization, and endovascular treatment was performed for the AVM. The postoperative course was uneventful and no recurrence occurred for five years postoperatively. AVMin the parotid region may develop in association with trauma or it may have a genetic predisposition. There are presently many reports on direct shunts. However, the AVM is generally a single channel shunt and some studies have reported that endovascular treatment is effective for the AVM. In the present patient, endovascular treatment was suitable because the AVM consisted of a single channel and the shunt site could be easily identified.