Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula in childhood.

We report two cases of children with pulmonary arteriovenous fistula treated at the University Clinic of Mainz. This angiodysplasia is relatively more diffuse and the clinical signs are more marked in childhood. The non-invasive techniques should be preferred for diagnosis. Complications occur frequently even in asymptomatic children so it is recommended to operate them. The local excision without extirpation of lung tissue should be preferred to segmentectomy or lobectomy for peripheral lesions. Therapeutic embolisation should be tried in inoperable cases.