Combined treatment of a dural arteriovenous malformation of the lateral sinus using transarterial and direct lateral sinus embolisation

Transcranial Endovascular Embolization of Dural Arteriovenous Fistula: A Case Report and Literature Review

The optimal endovascular management of high-grade dural arterial-venous fistulae (dAVF) can be technically challenging in cases where the involved venous sinus segment is inaccessible through the traditional percutaneous approach. In this report, we describe our experience with the transcranial endovascular approach for the treatment of a high-grade dAVF. We also provide a literature review of other reports of transcranial endovascular dAVF embolization. We propose that transcranial endovascular embolization of high-grade dAVF appears to be safe and effective in cases where the fistula is inaccessible to percutaneous routes alone.

Current status of endovascular treatment for dural arteriovenous fistula of the transverse-sigmoid sinus: A literature review

Most intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVFs) involve the transverse-sigmoid sinus (TSS), and various types of endovascular treatment (EVT) have been involved in managing TSS DAVFs. A current, comprehensive review of the EVT of TSS DAVFs is lacking. This study used the PubMed database to perform a literature review on TSS DAVFs to increase the current understanding of this condition. For high-grade TSS DAVFs such as Borden type 3, the goal of EVT is curative treatment. However, for low-grade TSS DAVFs such as Borden type 1 and some Borden type 2 TSS DAVFs, symptom relief or elimination of cortical reflux may be sufficient. Currently, EVT has become the first-line treatment for TSS DAVFs, including transarterial embolization (TAE), transvenous embolization (TVE) or both. TAE alone and TSS balloon-assisted TAE are also commonly used. However, TVE for TSS DAVFs is recognized as the most effective treatment, including coil direct packing TSS, Onyx® (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer) TVE, and balloon-assisted Onyx® TVE, which are commonly applied. In addition, TSS reconstructive treatment can be an effective procedure to treat TSS DAVFs. EVT is accompanied with complications, including technique- and treatment-related complications. Although complications may occur, TSS DAVFs have an acceptable prognosis after EVT.

Combined surgical/endovascular treatment of a complex dural arteriovenous fistula in 21-month-old. Technical note

The treatment of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) has progressed considerably over the past few decades. With the introduction of new embolic materials and refinement of endovascular techniques, lesions that in the past may have required extensive surgery, or were considered untreatable, have increasingly become curable. Despite improvements in technology, not every condition is amenable to an endovascular treatment, including those patients with preexisting vascular abnormalities that preclude an endovascular approach. In these cases, the patient may be left with suboptimal treatment options with higher associated risks. The authors here report on the treatment of a dural AVF in a pediatric patient in whom prior procedures rendered his cerebrovascular anatomy unnavigable using traditional endovascular techniques. To circumvent these vascular abnormalities the patient underwent combined surgical/endovascular treatment that included surgical exposure and cannulation of the cervical carotid artery, as well as simultaneous femoral artery access, with subsequent successful transarterial embolization of the dural AVF.

Transcranial embolization of a transverse-sigmoid sinus dural arteriovenous fistula carried out through a decompressive craniectomy

We report a case of dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) of the transverse-sigmoid sinus presenting with intraventricular hemorrhage. Cerebellar infarction developed after transarterial embolization, and decompressive craniectomy was performed to relieve the mass effect. Through the bone window of the decompressive craniectomy, transcranial puncture of the transverse sinus and coil occlusion of the fistula were successfully performed. Decompressive craniectomy may provide an opportunity to occlude DAVFs which cannot be occluded by the transarterial or transvenous approach.

Direct packing of the isolated sinus in patients with dural arteriovenous fistulas of the transverse-sigmoid sinus

OBJECT

The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of direct packing of the isolated sinus (occluded both distally and proximally) in patients with dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) of the transverse-sigmoid sinus.

METHODS

Eight patients were included in this study. There were seven men and one woman, ranging in age from 47 to 75 years (mean 60.4 years). Five patients presented with intracranial hemorrhage or venous infarction, one with convulsions, and two with pulsatile tinnitus. Prominent retrograde cortical venous drainage due to sinus isolation was angiographically demonstrated in all patients. All patients were treated by a small craniotomy and direct sinus packing with microcoils; the procedure was performed with the aid of digital subtraction angiography. Five patients were pretreated with transarterial embolization to reduce arterial inflow before the procedure, and intrasinus pressure and sinus blood gases were monitored throughout the operation. Postsurgery, the dural AVF was completely obliterated in all patients. The sinus pressure was 29 to 58% of systemic blood pressure, and sinus blood gas levels were purely arterial before packing. There was no morbidity related to direct sinus packing; however, one patient died as a result of acute myocardial infarction. Over a follow-up period ranging from 1 to 5 years, a faint asymptomatic dural AVF recurred in one patient on the cortex adjacent to the occluded sinus but regressed spontaneously within 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

Direct sinus packing was found to be highly effective for the treatment of dural AVFs that empty into the isolated sinus. Measurement of changes in sinus pressure and sinus blood gas levels was useful for monitoring the progress of direct sinus packing.