The Long and Winding Road: Thoracic Myelopathy Associated With Occipitocervical Dural Arteriovenous Fistula

• Published in: World neurosurgery Vol. 108; pp. 998.e7 - 998.e16
• Main Authors: Do, Angelique Sao-Mai, Kapurch, Joseph, Kumar, Ravi, Port, John, Miller, Jeffrey W., Van Gompel, Jamie J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2017
• Subjects: Angiography; Atlanto-Occipital Joint; Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations - complications; Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations - diagnostic imaging; Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations - surgery; Cerebral Angiography; Cervical Atlas - surgery; Cervical Vertebrae; Craniocervical dural arteriovenous fistula; Craniotomy; Evoked Potentials, Motor; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; Foix-Alajouanine syndrome; Foramen Magnum; Humans; Laminectomy; Low Back Pain - etiology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Myelopathy; Neurosurgical Procedures; Radiculopathy - etiology; Spinal Cord Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Spinal Cord Diseases - etiology; Spinal Cord Diseases - physiopathology; Spinal cord edema; Thoracic Vertebrae; Urinary Retention - etiology; Vertebral Artery; Foix-Alajouanine syndrome; Myelopathy; DAVF; Spinal cord edema; MRI; Craniocervical dural arteriovenous fistula; MEP; CCJ; SAH; SSEP

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) have diverse presentations. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals spinal cord swelling in only 45% to 74% of cases. We present an unusual case of a 57-year old man with a craniocervical junction DAVF in which the edema appeared in the thoracolumbar regi...