Arteriovenous Malformation

Your healthcare provider will ask you about your symptoms and do a physical exam. They’ll sometimes listen for a bruit, which is a rapid blood flow sound they can hear in arteries and veins when there’s an AVM.

What tests will be done to diagnose an arteriovenous malformation?

Imaging tests providers use to detect arteriovenous malformations include:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This uses radio waves and a large magnet.
• Computed tomography (CT) scan. This uses X-rays to create a series of images.
• Catheter angiography. A provider inserts a tube (catheter) into an artery in your wrist or groin and moves it to an area to investigate. Dyes and X-rays help providers view details of your blood vessels.

Brain imaging tests for suspected brain AVMs may include:

• Cerebral magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of your blood vessels in and around your brain.
• Computed tomography angiography (CTA). Uses X-rays to see detailed pictures of your blood vessels.
• Transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Uses sound waves to determine the speed of blood flow through your brain.

Because many AVMs don’t cause symptoms, providers only discover some of them during an imaging test for another condition (such as injuries, vision problems or headaches) or after they bleed and cause symptoms.