In the more severe cases, the blood overload goes almost directly from the vein to the heart and rapidly overwhelms it, leading to congestive heart failure. In rare cases, bleeding in the brain may occur.
Some children will not experience life-threatening symptoms. For these children, the severity of the malformation will affect the type of symptoms they have.
In infants:
- Abnormally enlarging head, resulting from hydrocephalus, retention of fluid in the brain.
- Enlarged or prominent veins in the head/scalp
In older children: