A case of dural arteriovenous fistula of superior sagittal sinus after tamoxifen treatment for breast cancer

Cyclosporine-A-Induced Intracranial Thrombotic Complications: Systematic Review and Cases Report

This study reported two cases of intracranial thrombotic events of aplastic anemia (AA) under therapy with cyclosporine-A (CsA) and reviewed both drug-induced cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and CsA-related thrombotic events systematically. We searched PubMed Central (PMC) and EMBASE up to Sep 2019 for publications on drug-induced CVT and Cs-A-induced thrombotic events. Medical subject headings and Emtree headings were used with the following keywords: "cyclosporine-A" and "cerebral venous thrombosis OR cerebral vein thrombosis" and "stroke OR Brain Ischemia OR Brain Infarction OR cerebral infarction OR intracerebral hemorrhage OR intracranial hemorrhage." We found that CsA might be a significant risk factor in inducing not only CVT but also cerebral arterial thrombosis in patients with AA.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Involving the Superior Sagittal Sinus: A Systematic Review

Objective

To evaluate published papers concerning dural arteriovenous fistula involving the superior sagittal sinus (SSS dAVF) treated with endovascular intervention.

Methods

A literature review was performed to identify studies reporting the clinical characteristics, vascular anatomy, endovascular techniques, embolic materials, angiographical result, and outcomes of SSS dAVF.

Results

The analysis consisted of 40 case reports or series, comprising a total of 51 cases of SSS dAVF treated with endovascular intervention. Clinical symptoms included hemorrhage (29.4%), infarction (17.6%), and seizure (7.8%). The arterial supply included the middle meningeal artery (MMA) (100%), superficial temporal artery (STA) (62.7%), and occipital artery (OA) (49.0%). Bilateral MMAs supplied in 78.4% of the cases. A pial arterial supply was observed in 21.6% of the cases. Stenosis or occlusion of the sinus was seen in 37.3% of the cases. The distribution of the Borden classification was as follows: I (7.8%), II (37.3%), and III (54.9%). The endovascular techniques were transvenous embolization (TVE) alone (11.8%), transarterial embolization (TAE) alone (74.5%), and a combination thereof (13.7%). The types of embolic materials for TAE were a coil (25.5%), n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) (33.3%), and Onyx (45.1%). The arterial pedicles for TAE included MMA (86.3%), STA (17.6%), and OA (9.8%). Direct surgical exposure for the alternative endovascular access was performed to the SSS (5.9%), MMA (3.9%), STA (5.9%), and OA (3.9%). Sinus angioplasty with or without stenting was done in 9.8% of the cases. Balloon-assisted Onyx TAE was done with proximal flow control (7.8%), collateral devascularization (5.9%), and sinus protection (3.9%). Complete occlusion was achieved in 86.3% of the cases while the number of endovascular sessions varied among patients: single (74.5%), double (15.7%), and triple (9.8%). The rate of a postoperative modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0-2 was 89.3%, with morbidity and mortality rates of 7.8% and 3.9%, respectively. Two patients died, possibly due to postoperative acute SSS occlusion.

Conclusion

The current systematic review disclosed several specific results, namely, the angioarchitectures of the SSS dAVF, the relationship between classification and hemorrhagic presentation, the diversity of treatment techniques, the association between the complete occlusion rate and the SSS condition, and the difficulty of achieving curable occlusion in a single session. These findings underscore the need for the development of endovascular techniques and devices to treat this challenging lesion. Improvements in adjunctive endovascular procedures, such as balloon-assisted techniques for Onyx TAE, may help support to the safe and effective obliteration of SSS dAVF.

Chemotherapy associated dural sinus thrombosis presenting as a cerebrospinal fluid leak

Despite the well documented increased risk of thrombosis in patients with cancer and during chemotherapy, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT) remains a rare entity. We present a rare case of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea secondary to a left transverse sinus thrombus which occurred 2 years previously during chemotherapy for breast cancer. The patient underwent a three-layer repair using Neuro-Patch, septal cartilage and middle turbinate pedicle flap and was started on acetazolamide. There was no recurrence at 1-year follow-up. Raised intracranial pressure secondary to cerebral venous occlusion can erode the base of skull and predispose to CSF leaks. Despite the theoretical risk, there have been no cases reported where CSF leaks have occurred following chemotherapy induced CVT. We describe the first case and discuss pathophysiology and management.

Cyclosporin A-related cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: A case report

RATIONALE

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a complex life-threatening condition, and its etiology is not well understood. Although oral cyclosporin A is not a common cause of the symptoms related to CVST, there is limited information available.

PATIENT CONCERNS

In this study, we report a rare case of CVST in a 44-year-old woman with aplastic anemia, who was given cyclosporin A orally for a period of 18 months. She had experienced a headache for 20 days.

DIAGNOSES

The patient was diagnosed with CVST by computed tomography venography.

INTERVENTIONS

Low molecular heparin (enoxaparin, 4000 AXaIU, subcutaneous injection, once every 12 hours) was administered for anticoagulation.

OUTCOMES

The patient developed no recurrence of thrombosis during the 13-month follow-up period.

LESSONS

Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of CVST when patients are treated with cyclosporin A and have symptoms such as headaches.

Spontaneous Resolution of Venous Aneurysms After Transarterial Embolization of a Variant Superior Sagittal Sinus Dural Arteriovenous Fistula: Case Report and Literature Review

We present a rare case of dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) with subarachnoid hemorrhage and intraventricular hemorrhage due to its venous aneurysms. A 63-year-old woman was admitted for a sudden loss of consciousness. Computed tomography angiograph, magnetic resonance imaging angiography, and digital subtraction angiography revealed a superior sagittal sinus DAVF. The fistula was fed by the left middle meningeal artery and left internal carotid artery, and was drained by a right vein of Trolard, the superficial Sylvian vein, deep Sylvian vein, and basal vein to the vein of Galen. The drainage veins were enlarged obviously with 3 aneurysmal venous malformations. There was a stenosis segment on the right basal vein. All the anatomic factors of direct cortical vein drainage, normal deep vein drainage, long tortuous drainage vein, outflow restriction, and multiple venous aneurysms, were contributed to the aggressive presentation of our case. Transarterial complete embolization of the fistula with balloon protection was successfully performed. Nine months later, a follow-up magnetic resonance imaging showed a complete disappearance of the 2 venous aneurysms located in the deep Sylvian vein and basal vein, and an obvious decrease in size of the venous aneurysm of the superficial Sylvian vein. This is the first report of a DAVF with 3 ballooned venous aneurysms and a spontaneous anatomy resolution of the venous aneurysms after the embolization of the fistula. At the same time, the clinical and radiologic characteristics of variant superior sagittal sinus DAVFs were summarized by review of the literatures reported previously.