Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are vascular abnormalities that typically present with spontaneous hemorrhage, seizure, or as a mass lesion. Pediatric brain AVMs are rarely diagnosed but carry a higher rate of rupture. We report a 7-week-old infant with rapid fatal intracranial hemorrhage from an undiagnosed brain. AVM confirmed at autopsy. Literature review on pediatric patients who had acute death caused by previously undiagnosed brain AVM from 1992 to 2018 revealed that cerebellum is the most frequent location of such AVMs, followed by thalamus. All the children had extensive intracranial hemorrhage that led to their deterioration despite surgical intervention.
Keywords: Arteriovenous malformation; Autopsy; Death; Infant; Intracranial hemorrhage.