Gene array analysis of a rat model of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations after superior cavopulmonary anastomosis.

Objective: Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations commonly develop in children who have undergone a cavopulmonary anastomosis as part of the palliative sequence for single-ventricle physiology.

Methods: We developed a rat model of cavopulmonary anastomosis that results in pulmonary arteriovenous malformations that are angiographically and histologically similar to the human condition. We used this model to analyze the gene expression profile associated with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations developing after cavopulmonary anastomosis.