Introduction
Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are a form of arteriovenous malformations
clinically characterized by anomalous communications between arterial
and venous systems that bypass the normal anatomic capillary beds (1).
Broadly it can be divided into two forms based on the cause: acquired or
congenital. Surgery, penetrating trauma, and percutaneous
catheterization are the most common causes of acquired AVFs. Rarely AVFs
can be formed in the absence of a clear cause and are called spontaneous
AVFs which are rare with very few case reports in the literature
(2-4). The anatomy of the fistula depends on the location in the
body and where the causative factor was applied. Greater than 50% of
traumatic AVFs happen in the lower extremity, and about one-third occur
in the femoral vessels, while 15% take place in the popliteal
vessels but AVF can occur at any site (5-8).
AVFs present clinically with progressively growing pulsatile mass on
each respective site associated with or without
complications including infection, thrombosis, aneurysm, hypertension,
and heart failure demanding timely intervention (9).