Cerebral arteriovenous malformation presenting with polycythemia vera: A case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) usually present with headache, hemorrhage, or seizure. Erythropoietin (EPO) has demonstrated protective effects against ischemia within the CNS. PRESENTATION OF CASE: The authors report a patient with a cerebral AVM and concurrent polycythemia associated with elevated serum EPO. Systemic EPO levels declined acutely after resection of the patient's AVM, and the polycythemia resolved in the following months. DISCUSSION: Polycythemia secondary to a cerebral AVM, in the absence of extra-cerebral vascular lesions, has not been described in the literature.
CONCLUSION: The authors explore the mechanisms by which this patient's cerebral AVM could have induced EPO production within the brain, manifesting as polycythemia.