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Rationale: Cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (CSDAVF) is a rare intracranial vascular malformation. Because of its complicated clinical manifestations, it is easy to miss or misdiagnose CSDAVF., Patient Concerns: A 42-year-old female had chief complaint that the right eyeball had conjunctival congestion for half a year. She was given levofloxacin eye drops to treat the right eye with anti-inflammatory treatment, but the symptoms did not improve. Cranial magnetic resonance and cerebrovascular imaging showed that the right lateral rectus muscle was slightly enlarged, the right eyeball was prominent, but there was no abnormality in the brain., Diagnoses: Based on clinical and imaging examinations and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), she was diagnosed as low-flow CSDAVF., Interventions: The patient received interventional embolization with transvenous combined arterial approach using coils and Onyx liquid glue., Outcomes: The patient's exophthalmos and congestion symptoms were improved., Conclusion: DAS is the gold standard for the diagnose of CSDAVF. Intravascular embolization interventional therapy is an effective treatment for CSDAVF., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

To investigate the effect and safety of recanalization of stenosed or occluded venous sinuses for dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) and possible mechanism of DAVF formation, patients with DAVF accompanied by venous sinus stenosis or occlusion treated with balloon angioplasty and/or stenting were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical data, treatment outcomes and complications were analyzed. In 7 patients enrolled, the DAVF was Cognard IIa grade in 3 (42.9% or 3/7) and IIa + b in 4 (57.1% or 4/7) patients, including complex DAVFs in 2 (28.6% or 2/7). The angioplasty procedure was successful in all (100%) patients, including complete cure in 3 (42.9% or 3/7) patients with the initial Cognard grade IIa, transformation from Cognard grade IIa + b to I in 2 (28.6% or 2/7) patients, and unchanged Cognard grade IIa + b in 2 (28.6% or 2/7) patients. The symptoms were all improved. At 3-month angiographic follow-up, 5 (71.4% or 5/7) cases were cured, whereas 2 cases still had grade I fistulas but no clinical symptoms. Staged embolization in 2 patients resulted in significant symptom improvement. At the last follow-up of a median 4 years, no clinical symptoms were present in 5 (71.4% or 5/7) patients, intermittent headache in 1 (14.3% or 1/7), and death from trauma in 1 (14.3% or 1/7). In conclusion, endovascular recanalization of occluded or stenosed venous sinuses using balloon angioplasty and stenting is able to induce occlusion of DAVFs and is a safe and efficient treatment approach for DAVFs which are possibly caused by significant pressure increase., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Rationale: Dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) are rare cerebral abnormal arteriovenous anastomoses. It is uncommon for DAVFs with parkinsonism and dementia, so it is easily misdiagnosed. Neuroimaging examinations show that multifocal DAVFs are related to venous thrombosis and white matter changes, suggesting that cerebral circulatory disorders caused by venous hypertensive encephalopathy lead to dementia in patients. Digital subtraction angiography confirmed the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of DAVFs., Patient Concerns: We report 2 cases, one caused by bilateral white matter lesions and the other caused by bilateral thalamus lesions. Their symptoms are all manifested as progressive dementia and parkinsonism., Diagnosis: They were diagnosed with dural arteriovenous fistulas by digital subtraction angiography., Outcomes: The first patient developed progressive cognitive impairment, 6 months later, the patient developed bedridden, incontinence, and severe cognitive function.The second patient became increasingly bedridden 3 months after discharge and died of aspiration pneumonia., Lessons: There are few reports of progressive dementia and parkinsonism in DAVF patients, and neurologists should be vigilant to avoid misdiagnosing DAVF., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Cortical venous drainage (CVD) increases the probability of intracranial hemorrhage and mortality rate of dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF). Although digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the most accurate method to determine CVD in DAVFs, this modality has limitations due to its invasive nature and radiation issues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of arterial spin-labeling perfusion-weighted images (ASL-PWI) to identify CVD in patients with DAVF.The Institutional Review Board of our hospital approved this retrospective study. ASL-PWI features of 22 patients with DAVF were retrospectively reviewed for the presence of bright signal intensity in cortical veins and brain parenchyma. DAVF with bright signal intensity in cortical veins and/or brain parenchyma was regarded as having CVD. Using DSA as a reference standard, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ASL-PWI for detecting CVD were calculated.Based on DSA features, 11 (11/22, 50%) patients were classified as having "aggressive" pattern with CVD. Eleven (11/22, 50%) patients also showed bright signal intensity in cortical veins (9/22, 41%) and/or brain parenchyma (4/22, 18%) on ASL-PWI. The 11 patients who had "Aggressive" pattern on DSA were the same 11 patients who were classified as having "aggressive" pattern on ASL-PWI. ASL-PWI showed perfect diagnostic performance for identifying CVD with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 100% for all.Thus, ASL-PWI could be used as a noninvasive mean to predict the presence of CVD in patients with DAVFs. It has the potential as a screening tool to evaluate DAVF prior to invasive DSA.

Rationale: A dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) refers to an abnormal direct connection between an intracranial artery and a dural venous sinus. A DAVF presenting with parkinsonism is rare, and is therefore easily misdiagnosed. Therefore, early consideration of DAVF in the differential diagnosis of reversible parkinsonism is necessary., Patient Concerns: We present the case of a 51-year-old male with progressive parkinsonism., Diagnoses: He was diagnosed as straight sinus occlusion. Imaging studies revealed a DAVF associated with cerebral hypoperfusion of the lenticular nuclei and frontal lobe white matter., Interventions: Endovascular embolization was performed through his left occipital artery., Outcomes: Treatment resulted in marked clinical improvement that a major improvement of parkinsonism was observed concomitant with no evidence of early venous drainage of this patient., Lessons: DAVF should always be considered as a potential cause of progressive parkinsonism on account of its potential reversibility. Our case suggests a concomitant role of basal ganglia degeneration and frontal white matter hypoperfusion in the pathology of parkinsonism due to DAVF. However, the precise pathophysiology remains to be investigated.

Background and Purpose: Cortical venous reflux (CVR) is a high risk factor for aggressive behavior of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF). The pathological conditions in brain tissue affected by CVR were investigated by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging., Methods: A retrospective review identified 56 patients with DAVFs who underwent diffusion-weighted imaging before treatment. Twenty patients had neurological symptoms corresponding to the brain area affected by CVR (Group I), 21 patients with CVR had no focal brain dysfunctions (Group II), and 15 patients had no CVR (Group III). Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured for 11 brain areas predefined based on normal venous drainage patterns in the 56 patients and in 21 normal volunteers. The mean ADC ratio was calculated for each area by dividing the ADC value of patients by that of normal volunteers., Results: Areas affected by CVR in Group I showed a mean ADC-to-control ratio of 0.72, which was significantly lower than that of Group II (0.96, P<0.01). Follow-up studies demonstrated significantly increased ADC ratios in brain areas affected by CVR after the DAVFs were treated successfully. The mean ADC ratio of an affected area remained low, with persistent symptoms in 1 patient who underwent palliative treatment., Conclusions: Decreased ADC was observed in the brain parenchyma affected by CVR and was associated with regional brain dysfunction. Successful treatment of the DAVF increased the ADC toward normal levels. The ADC may be a useful indicator of the severity of CVR.

Background and Purpose: To study hemodynamic changes and to determine the value of contrast-enhanced transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) for the evaluation of dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVF) before and after transcatheter embolization., Methods: Twenty-four patients (mean age 61+/-11 years) with occipitally located DAVF were studied with contrast-enhanced TCCS using the transtemporal bone window in transverse-axial and coronal insonation planes. Blood flow velocity measurements of all depictable basal cerebral veins and sinuses were obtained before and after transcatheter embolization. Pretreatment and post-treatment flow velocity values were compared., Results: Four of the 24 patients (17%) could not be studied because of an insufficient temporal bone window. In all remaining patients (n=20), draining veins/sinuses could be identified because of pathologically increased blood flow velocities with peak systolic flow velocities of >50 cm/s. Of the 27 draining vessels depicted by DSA, TCCS correctly identified 25 (93%): the basal vein (3 of 3), the straight sinus (3 of 3), the superior sagittal sinus (1 of 3), the transverse sinus (9), the sigmoid sinus (4), and the superior petrosal sinus (5/5). However, TCCS failed to depict supplementary drainage via cortical veins. After transcatheter embolization, mean reduction of blood flow velocity was 44+/-18% (P<0.01) compared with pretreatment values., Conclusions: Contrast-enhanced TCCS is a promising technique for monitoring embolization of DAVF, follow-up after complete fistula occlusion, and may even be useful as a screening tool in patients with pulsatile tinnitus.

Background and Purpose: This article evaluates the intracranial venous hemodynamics of dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) on the basis of data from color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) findings of the superior ophthalmic vein (SOV) and discusses the clinical application of the SOV CDFI to the DAVFs., Methods: We examined the diameter, flow direction, flow waveform, and flow velocity of the SOV using CDFI in 20 patients with intracranial DAVF. Six patients were asymptomatic; the other 14 patients were symptomatic. Angiographic retrograde cortical venous filling was seen in 14 patients., Results: In the DAVFs, the average SOV diameter was 2.95+/-1.15 mm, which was significantly broad compared with that of the control subjects (P<0.05). The flow direction was reversed in 2 patients and normal in the other 18 patients. Three patients showed an abnormal waveform. A reversed pulsatile waveform was observed in 2 patients, and a normograde pulsatile waveform was seen in 1 patient. The other 17 patients showed normal waveform. The average SOV diameter and resistance index values were significantly higher (P<0.05) in patients with clinical symptoms, angiographic retrograde cortical venous fillings, or large DAVFs compared with those in the other patients., Conclusions: The SOV CDFI findings in DAVFs correlated well with the patient's clinical symptoms, angiographic findings, and DAVF size. These findings were useful to evaluate the intracranial venous hemodynamics in DAVFs.

Background and Purpose: In the early 1980s, it was demonstrated that surgical intradural division of the shunting vein to the medullary venous plexus cures a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) at low morbidity. There is, however, growing literature to support endovascular therapy., Methods: The clinical features of 49 consecutive patients with a spinal DAVF treated at a single institution between 1986 and 2001 were studied (mean age, 63 years; range, 28 to 78 years; 80% male). When possible, embolization was offered as the initial treatment. Endovascular treatment was considered adequate only if the proximal shunting vein could be occluded with liquid adhesive embolics. Motor and bladder function was evaluated with Aminoff scores an average of 32.3 months after treatment., Results: All but 1 patient presented with myelopathy. At a mean of 2.3 years after symptom onset, 48 DAVFs were angiographically demonstrated. Since 1999, gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography was additionally performed in 7 patients to point out the level of the DAVF. Endovascular embolization could be attempted in 44 of the 48 DAVFs and resulted in a cure in 11 (25%). Thirty-five DAVFs were surgically cured; 2 patients refused surgery after failed embolization. Angiographic confirmation of the treatment result was available in 97.7% of the patients. No permanent complications of either embolization or surgery were noted. Motor and bladder function scores were significantly improved in 35 patients who had long-term follow-up (both P<0.005)., Conclusions: Endovascular treatment with liquid adhesive material provided a result equal to surgery in 25% of patients, overall resulting in a significant amelioration in the neurological status of patients with a spinal DAVF.