A Case of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Presenting with Asymptomatic Liver Lesions and a History of Early-onset Myocardial Infarction and Multiple Intracranial Aneurysms

Abstract

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a genetic disorder of the vasculature, characterized by epistaxis, telangiectasia and arteriovenous malformations in multiple organs. We herein report a 49-year-old woman with a history of early-onset myocardial infarction and intracranial aneurysms, in whom we incidentally detected multiple hepatic vascular abnormalities. We subsequently diagnosed her with HHT after discovering gastrointestinal telangiectases and a pulmonary arteriovenous fistula along with a history of recurrent epistaxis. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a novel pathogenic variant in SMAD4, a relatively rare causative gene for HHT. This case highlights the fact that HHT patients may present with asymptomatic liver lesions.