[Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (report on 11 cases, 1970-1979) (author's transl)].

The clinical features and the diagnostic difficulties in 11 cases of pulmonary arteriovenous (av) malformation, diagnosed in the last 10 years, are discussed. It is possible to get the correct diagnosis with the help of the typical thorax-X-screen, inclusive tomography in combination with the clinical signs of the right to left shunt. Pulmonary angiography is indicated (first) before any kind of therapy in order to exclude av malformations in other localisations, (second) in all pulmonary lesions, where av malformations are part of the differential diagnosis, and (third) in patients suffering from symptoms of a right to left shunt after exclusion of a cyanotic vitium cordis.