DEFINITION of Spinal Arteriovenous Malformations is the rare abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the spinal cord. Untreated spine AVM can permanently damage your spinal cord. Oxygen-rich blood enters the spinal cord through the arteries which branch on to the small blood vessels. The spinal cord uses oxygen from the blood in the capillaries. The oxygen depleted blood and then passes into the veins that drain blood from the spinal cord to the heart and lungs. In the spine the blood passes directly from your arteries to the veins. The disruption in the blood flow causes cells in the spinal tissues to die. The arteries and veins in the spinal can rupture, which also results in bleeding in the spinal cord. The AVM is enlarged and compresses
