Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula presenting with quadriparesis: case report and review of the literature. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2009;18:428-434. [PMID: 19900644 DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2008.12.007]

Watch brain circulation in unexplained progressive myelopathy: a review of Cognard type V arterio-venous fistulas

BACKGROUND

Intracranial dural arterio-venous fistulas are pathological anastomoses between arteries and veins located within dural sheets and whose clinical manifestations depend on location and hemodynamic features. They can sometimes display perimedullary venous drainage (Cognard type V fistulas-CVFs) and present as a progressive myelopathy. Our review aims at describing CVFs' variety of clinical presentation, investigating a possible association between diagnostic delay and outcome and assessing whether there is a correlation between clinical and/or radiological signs and clinical outcomes.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic search on Pubmed, looking for articles describing patients with CVFs complicated with myelopathy.

RESULTS

A total of 72 articles for an overall of 100 patients were selected. The mean age was 56.20 ± 14.07, 72% of patients were man, and 58% received an initial misdiagnosis. CVFs showed a progressive onset in 65% of cases, beginning with motor symptoms in 79% of cases. As for the MRI, 81% presented spinal flow voids. The median time from symptoms' onset to diagnosis was 5 months with longer delays for patients experiencing worse outcomes. Finally, 67.1% of patients showed poor outcomes while the remaining 32.9% obtained a partial-to-full recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed CVFs' broad clinical spectrum of presentation and found that the outcome is not associated with the severity of the clinical picture at onset, but it has a negative correlation with the length of diagnostic delay. We furthermore underlined the importance of cervico-dorsal perimedullary T1/T2 flow voids as a reliable MRI parameter to orient the diagnosis and distinguish CVFs from most of their mimics.

Tentorial Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Presenting with Venous Congestive Edema of the Upper Cervical Cord

Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is an aggressive vascular lesion causing progressive neurological deficits. Venous congestive cervical edema is a rare phenomenon caused by tentorial DAVF. Obliteration of the fistula and venous drainage should be the goal of treatment. A 62-year-old man was admitted with lower limb weakness and numbness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed extensive edema of the upper cervical cord with signal flow void at the anterior spinal cord. Internal carotid angiography revealed a tentorial arteriovenous shunt near the superior petrosal sinus fed mainly by the tentorial artery. The petrosal vein was dilated, with the transverse pontine vein, medial medullary vein, and anterior spinal vein as the main drainage route. This suggests that venous hypertension triggered the upper cervical cord edema. MRI with gadolinium enhancement showed that the varix was located just distal to the shunt. Microsurgical obliteration of the fistula and venous drainage were achieved via a suboccipital approach. A postoperative evaluation showed the disappearance of the cervical cord edema with improved clinical symptoms. Tentorial DAVF with spinal venous drainage presents with mild and slow progression of symptoms. Differential diagnosis and definite treatment are mandatory to avoid a delayed diagnosis and irreversible symptoms.

Intracranial Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas With Brainstem Engorgement: An Under-Recognized Entity in Diagnosis and Treatment

Background: In rare circumstances, patients with intracranial (dural arteriovenous fistulas) DAVFs could be complicated with brainstem engorgement, which might lead to delayed or false diagnosis and subsequent improper management.

Methods: On July 2th, 2019, a systematic search was conducted in the PubMed database for patients with intracranial DAVFs complicated with brainstem engorgement.

Results: Sixty-eight articles reporting of 86 patients were included for final analysis. The patients were aged from 20 to 76 years (57.10 ± 12.90, n = 82). The female to male ratio was 0.68 (35:51). Thirty-three (40.2%, 33/82) patients were initially misdiagnosed as other diseases. The specific location distributions were cranio-cervical junction, cavernous sinus, superior petrosal sinus, transverse and/or sigmoid sinus, tentorium, and other sites in 27 (32.5%), 11 (13.2%), 9 (10.8%), 10 (12.0%), 21 (25.3%), and 5 (6.0%) patients, respectively. The Cognard classification of DAVFs were II, III, IV, and V in 9 (10.7%, 9/84), 1 (1.2%, 1/84), 1 (1.2%, 1/84), and 73 (86.9%, 73/84) patients. Eighteen (22%, 18/82) patients were demonstrated to have stenosis or occlusion of the draining system distal to the fistula points. The mean follow-up period was 7.86 (n = 74, range 0–60 months) months. Fifty-four (70.1%, 54/77) patients experienced a good recovery according to the mRS score.

Conclusions: Intracranial DAVFs complicated with brainstem engorgement are rare entities. Initial misdiagnosis and delayed definite diagnosis are common in the past three decades. The treatment outcome is still unsatisfactory at present. Early awareness of this rare entity and efficiently utilizing the up to date investigations are of utmost importance.

Current status of endovascular treatment for dural arteriovenous fistulae in the tentorial middle region: a literature review

The tentorial middle region (TMR) includes the midline and paramedian tentorium. TMR dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVFs) are complex. We performed a review of the literature on TMR DAVFs. TMR DAVFs are divided into the following four types: incisural DAVF, Galenic DAVF, straight sinus DAVF and torcular DAVF. TMR DAVFs often drain into pial veins; therefore, most TMR DAVFs are classified as Borden II-III and Cognard types IIb-IV, whose characteristics cause TMR DAVFs to be prone to hemorrhage. TMR DAVFs have a very disappointing natural progression, and treatment is necessary. TMR DAVFs have extensive arterial supply and complex venous drainages, making them difficult to treat. Currently, for TMR DAVF, endovascular treatment (EVT) has become a better option. In EVT, transarterial embolization is the first-line treatment. Many complications can occur when treating TMR DAVFs, but complete EVT can generally achieve good clinical outcomes. In this review, three educational cases with demonstrating figures are provided to elaborate TMR DAVFs.

Development of Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas After Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis

A 57-year-old man presented with papilledema due to partially recanalized dural sinus thrombosis and was treated with anticoagulation and acetazolamide. One year after treatment and resolution of his symptoms, he had an increase in his optic disc edema accompanied by headaches. Subsequent neuroimaging indicated development of arteriovenous fistulas resulting in cortical and deep venous reflux. Given the high risk of mortality from intracranial hemorrhage, the patient underwent urgent treatment with a liquid embolic agent, which resulted in the resolution of his optic disc edema. Our case is unique in that recurrence of bilateral optic disc edema led to discovery of the rare complication of dural arteriovenous fistulas developing after dural sinus thrombosis. Ongoing monitoring of patients after cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is, therefore, important.

Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula of the medial tentorial artery

The medial tentorial artery arises from the meningohypophyseal trunk, a branch of the cavernous internal carotid artery, and it is poorly visualized on angiography in the absence of pathologically increased blood flow. We present the case of a 38-year-old man with intraventricular hemorrhage from a tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) singularly supplied by a robust medial tentorial artery. Tentorial DAVFs comprise a rare but high-risk subset of DAVFs. The diagnosis was suggested by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings and confirmed with digital subtraction angiography.

Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula presenting as myelopathy: Case series and review of literature

Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is a rare type of cerebral arteriovenous malformation. Common presenting symptoms are related to hemorrhage. However, rarely these patients may present with myelopathy. We present two cases of DAVF presenting as rapidly progressive myelopathy. Two treatment options are available: microsurgical interruption of the fistula and endovascular embolization. These treatment options of DAVFs have improved significantly in the last decade. The optimal treatment of DAVFs remains controversial, and there is an ongoing debate as to whether primary endovascular or primary microsurgical treatment is the optimal management for these lesions. However, despite treatment a high percentage of patients are still left with severe disability. The potential for functional ambulation in patients with DAVF is related to the time of intervention. This emphasizes the important of early diagnosis and early intervention in DAVF. The eventual outcome may depend on several factors, such as the duration of symptoms, the degree of disability before treatment, and the success of the initial procedure to close the fistula. The usage of magnetic resonance imaging and selective angiography has significantly improved the ability to characterize DAVFs, however, these lesions remain inefficiently diagnosed. If intervention is delayed even prolonged time in rehabilitation does not change the grave prognosis. This review outlines the presentation, classication and management of DAVF as well as discussing patient outcomes.

Factors influencing the prognosis in intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas with perimedullary drainage

OBJECTIVE

Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas with perimedullary venous drainage (IDAVFPD) are classified as type V dural arteriovenous fistulas. Publications are limited to single case reports and small case series. We conducted a systematic review of the literature for patients with IDAVFPD. The aim of this study is to identify the predictive factors of poor prognosis in patients with IDAVFPD.

METHODS

We present the case of a 48-year-old man who underwent surgical interruption of IDAVFPD. A complete MEDLINE search was then undertaken for all articles reporting outcomes data for IDAVFPD. According to the results we have divided the patient population into two groups: I, those patients who showed improvement after treatment, and II: those patients who did not show improvement. We conducted a comparative statistical analysis of the epidemiologic, clinical, radiologic, and therapeutic parameters between the two groups.

RESULTS

A total of 37 articles comprising with 58 cases were included for analysis with an average follow-up of 12 months. There were 36 patients in group I and 22 in group II. The average age was 57.8 years in group I and 54.3 years in group II (P=0.32). Onset of symptoms was acute or subacute in 57% of patients in group I, and in 50% of patients in group II (P=0.62). Bulbar signs were present in 28% of cases in group I and in 36% of cases in group II (P=0.49). Hyperintensity of the brainstem on T2-weighted sequence magnetic resonance imaging was more common in patients in group II (78%) compared with patients in group I (45%) (P=0.012). Patients who underwent surgical procedure have shown good outcomes compared to patients treated with endovascular approach (P=0.039).

CONCLUSIONS

The poor outcomes were correlated to the presence of brainstem signal abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging, whereas the prognosis does not depend on age, sex, clinical presentation, or anatomic characteristics of the fistula.

Endovascular management of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas: a review

Dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) are rare pathological entities presenting with a diverse clinical course, ranging from benign to life-threatening. Digital subtraction angiography remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of clinically suspected DAVFs. This article reviews the ethiopathogenesis, natural history, classification systems, clinical and angiographic features, and the current treatment strategies for these complex lesions. The management of DAVFs may include conservative treatment, endovascular intervention, microsurgery, and stereotactic radiosurgery. A multidisciplinary approach involving a neurosurgeon, interventional neuroradiologist, and neurologist is required before considering any type of treatment modality. The indication for the best therapeutic alternative must be individualized for each patient.

Endovascular treatment of tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulae

Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is a rare vascular disease, which accounts for less than 4% of all cases of intracranial DAVF. Because of the high risk of intracranial hemorrhage, patients with tentorial DAVF need aggressive treatment. Management approaches are still controversial, and endovascular treatment has emerged as an effective alternative. In the current work, we describe our experience with the endovascular approach in the treatment of these deep and complex DAVF of the tentorium. Eight patients were treated between January 2006 and July 2009. Six patients (75%) presented with intracranial hemorrhage related to the DAVF rupture. Four patients (50%) had subarachnoid bleeding and two had intraparenchymal hematoma. Endovascular treatment was performed via the transarterial route alone in five cases (62.5%), by the transvenous approach in two cases (25.0%) and in a combined procedure using both arterial and venous routes in one patient (12.5%). Complete obliteration of the fistula was achieved in all cases. The outcome at 15 months was favorable (modified Rankin scale 0-3) in seven (87.5%) patients. Complete cure of the lesion was confirmed in these cases. This paper reports on the effectiveness of endovascular treatment in tentorial DAVF management. The choice of the venous versus the arterial approach is determined by regarding different anatomical dispositions.