scholarly journals Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas — Treatable Cause of Myelopathy

10.5772/56725 ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Nachanakian ◽  
Antonios El ◽  
Ghassan Abou ◽  
Moussa Alayw
Keyword(s):  
Arteriovenous Fistulas ◽  
Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas ◽  
Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas

Clinical presentation and prognostic factors of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas: an overview

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. E17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Fugate ◽  
Giuseppe Lanzino ◽  
Alejandro A. Rabinstein
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Intramedullary Spinal Cord ◽  
Lower Extremity Weakness ◽  
Arteriovenous Fistulas ◽  
Signal Abnormality ◽  
Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas ◽  
Sensory Disturbances ◽  
Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), the most common type of spinal cord vascular malformation, can be a challenge to diagnose and treat promptly. The disorder is rare, and the presenting clinical symptoms and signs are nonspecific and insidious at onset. Spinal dural AVFs preferentially affect middle-aged men, and patients most commonly present with gait abnormality or lower-extremity weakness and sensory disturbances. Symptoms gradually progress or decline in a stepwise manner and are commonly associated with pain and sphincter disturbances. Surgical or endovascular disconnection of the fistula has a high success rate with a low rate of morbidity. Motor symptoms are most likely to improve after treatment, followed by sensory disturbances, and lastly sphincter disturbances. Patients with severe neurological deficits at presentation tend to have worse posttreatment functional outcomes than those with mild or moderate pretreatment disability. However, improvement or stabilization of symptoms is seen in the vast majority of treated patients, and thus treatment is justified even in patients with substantial neurological deficits. The extent of intramedullary spinal cord T2 signal abnormality does not correlate with outcomes and should not be used as a prognostic factor.

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas—An underdiagnosed disease

2005 ◽  
Vol 253 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Jellema ◽  
C. C. Tijssen ◽  
M. Sluzewski ◽  
F. W. A. Asbeck ◽  
P. J. Koudstaal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arteriovenous Fistulas ◽  
Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas ◽  
Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas
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