Pitfalls in Endovascular Treatment of Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas Involving the Cavernous Sinus

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 88-92
Author(s):  
N. Kuwayama ◽  
S. Endo ◽  
M. Kubo ◽  
T. Akai ◽  
A. Takaku

Angiographic changes of the sylvian veins, superior ophthalmic vein (SOV), and superior petrosal sinus (SPS) before and after endovascular treatment were determined for 18 patients with dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) involving the cavernous sinus, and pitfalls of endovascular treatment, especially regarding venous drainage routes, for 3 of the patients were reported. Case 1: 57-year-old woman who presented with right abducens nerve palsy had a Barrow type D fistula in the right cavernous sinus draining into the bilateral inferior petrosal sinuses (IPS). One of the ipsilateral sylvian veins that had drained antegradely before treatment was occluded, and a small lacunar infarction in the corona radiata developed after transvenous embolization (TVE) of the right cavernous sinus. Case 2: 72-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of right ocular hypertension had a type D fistula in the right cavernous sinus draining into only the ipsilateral SOV. Conjunctival hyperemia persisted and was aggravated after angioanatomical obliteration of the fistula by transarterial embolization. Case 3: 55-year-old man who presented with left abducens nerve palsy had a type D fistula in the left cavernous sinus draining into the ipsilateral IPS and sylvian vein. The dural AVF was obliterated once with TVE, but recurred 1 week later with retrograde drainage into the ipsilateral SPS and mesencephalic veins. A second TVE resulted in complete obliteration of the fistula. In conclusion, detailed analysis of drainage routes is necessary for planning of treatment of patients with dural AVF, and prompt treatment is needed when redistribution of drainage routes develops during or after TVE.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Tsukada ◽  
Kiyoyuki Yanaka ◽  
Kazuhiro Nakamura ◽  
Nobuyuki Takahashi ◽  
Kuniyuki Onuma ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Extracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare clinical entities and on rare occasions cause neurological symptoms. The authors report a case of an extracranial pterygoid AVM and a subsequent contralateral cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) presenting with abducens nerve palsy. OBSERVATIONS An 80-year-old woman was referred to the authors’ hospital with left abducens nerve palsy followed by right ophthalmalgia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed abnormal vessel staining in the left pterygoid and the right inferior petrosal sinus (IPS). Cerebral angiography revealed a left pterygoid AVM draining into the right IPS via the cavernous sinus (CS). A dAVF in the right CS was also revealed. The right ophthalmalgia disappeared spontaneously, and, 4 months later, the left abducens nerve palsy also disappeared after conservative management. Follow-up MRI showed spontaneous regression of the AVM and dAVF. The disappearance of the dAVF was considered to be due to spontaneous regression of the left pterygoid AVM and the consequent decrease in venous pressure of the CS, and the symptoms eventually disappeared. LESSONS The authors treated an extremely rare case of extracranial AVM with dramatic changes in vascular structure and symptoms. Understanding of the pathophysiology between symptoms and dynamic changes in the vascular structure is essential for providing the appropriate treatment.


2010 ◽  
Vol 113 (Special_Supplement) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Ho Jung ◽  
Jong Hee Chang ◽  
Kum Whang ◽  
Jin Soo Pyen ◽  
Jin Woo Chang ◽  
...  

Object The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) for treating cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistulas (CSDAVFs). Methods Of the 4123 GKSs performed between May 1992 and March 2009, 890 procedures were undertaken to treat vascular lesions. In 24 cases, the vascular lesion that was treated was a dural arteriovenous fistula, and in 6 of these cases, the lesion involved the cavernous sinus. One of these 6 cases was lost to follow-up, leaving the other 5 cases (4 women and 1 man) to comprise the subjects of this study. All 5 patients had more than 1 ocular symptom, such as ptosis, chemosis, proptosis, and extraocular movement palsy. In all patients, CSDAVF was confirmed by conventional angiography. Three patients were treated by GKS alone and 2 patients were treated by GKS combined with transarterial embolization. The median follow-up period after GKS in these 5 cases was 30 months (range 9–59 months). Results All patients experienced clinical improvement, and their improvement in ocular symptoms was noticed at a mean of 17.6 weeks after GKS (range 4–24 weeks). Two patients received embolization prior to GKS but did not display improvement in ocular symptoms. An average of 20 weeks (range 12–24 weeks) was needed for complete improvement in clinical symptoms. There were no treatment-related complications during the follow-up period. Conclusions Gamma Knife surgery should be considered as a primary, combined, or additional treatment option for CSDAVF in selected cases, such as when the lesion is a low-flow shunt without cortical venous drainage. For those selected cases, GKS alone may suffice as the primary treatment method when combined with close monitoring of ocular symptoms and intraocular pressure.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. E813-E814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giyas Ayberk ◽  
Mehmet F. Ozveren ◽  
Nuket Uzum ◽  
Ozgur Tosun ◽  
Emine K. Akcay

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE Cellular schwannomas (CS) are rare in the cranial space. This report is the first of a patient with a greater superficial petrosal nerve CS presenting with abducens nerve palsy and xerophthalmia. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 16-year-old female patient presented with a 1-month history of diplopia. Neurological examination was normal except for the presence of right abducens nerve palsy. Schirmer's test revealed decreased tear secretion in the right eye. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass in the right petrous apex. It was thought that the schwannoma in our patient originated from the greater superficial petrosal nerve, based on the location of the tumor in addition to the absence of partial Horner's syndrome and a persistent decrease in tear secretion. INTERVENTION: The tumor was exposed with the use of a right subtemporal extradural approach and removed entirely. Pathological evaluation of the tumor revealed a CS. CONCLUSION The abducens nerve palsy improved completely in the follow-up period, but the decreased tear secretion did not resolve. CS is one of the subtypes of ordinary schwannomas and exhibits malignant features on microscopic examination, although it has a good clinical prognosis. No adjuvant treatment was applied because of the tumor's benign character. The greater superficial petrosal nerve schwannoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the abducens nerve palsy and petrous apex mass.


2015 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 883-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Spittau ◽  
Diego San Millán ◽  
Saad El-Sherifi ◽  
Claudia Hader ◽  
Tejinder Pal Singh ◽  
...  

Dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) of the hypoglossal canal (HCDAVFs) are rare and display a complex angiographic anatomy. Hitherto, they have been referred to as various entities (for example, “marginal sinus DAVFs”) solely described in case reports or small series. In this in-depth review of HCDAVF, the authors describe clinical and imaging findings, as well as treatment strategies and subsequent outcomes, based on a systematic literature review supplemented by their own cases (120 cases total). Further, the involved craniocervical venous anatomy with variable venous anastomoses is summarized. Hypoglossal canal DAVFs consist of a fistulous pouch involving the anterior condylar confluence and/or anterior condylar vein with a variable intraosseous component. Three major types of venous drainage are associated with distinct clinical patterns: Type 1, with anterograde drainage (62.5%), mostly presents with pulsatile tinnitus; Type 2, with retrograde drainage to the cavernous sinus and/or orbital veins (23.3%), is associated with ocular symptoms and may mimic cavernous sinus DAVF; and Type 3, with cortical and/or perimedullary drainage (14.2%), presents with either hemorrhage or cervical myelopathy. For Types 1 and 2 HCDAVF, transvenous embolization demonstrates high safety and efficacy (2.9% morbidity, 92.7% total occlusion). Understanding the complex venous anatomy is crucial for planning alternative approaches if standard transjugular access is impossible. Transarterial embolization or surgical disconnection (morbidity 13.3%–16.7%) should be reserved for Type 3 HCDAVFs or lesions with poor venous access. A conservative strategy could be appropriate in Type 1 HCDAVF for which spontaneous regression (5.8%) may be observed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-151
Author(s):  
Mohd Khairul Bin Abd Majid

Dengue fever is very common in tropical climate countries and the number of reported cases in Malaysia shows an increasing trend recently, according to the Malaysian Clinical Practice Guidelines. Although dengue fever is common, cranial nerve mononeuropathy is a very rare manifestation in relation to other neurological-associated syndromes. We report a rare case of cranial mononeuropathy of dengue fever in Malaysia and highlight the option of steroid usage as an alternative treatment to hasten the neurological recovery. The patient, a 25-year-old healthy policeman, presented with symptomatic viral fever, which was serologically confirmed as dengue fever. He developed acute-onset binocular diplopia, which was secondary to right eye isolated abducens nerve palsy during the critical phase of dengue fever. His visual acuity was 6/6 in both eyes with slightly restricted abduction of the right eye, consistent with right abducens nerve palsy, which was confirmed with a Hess test. There was corresponding diplopia over the right paracentral visual field. Urgent contrasted brain imaging was done, which ruled out the life-threatening intracranial pathology; therefore, a diagnosis of possible subclinical inflammatory changes causing sixth nerve palsy was made. Subsequently, he was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone 500 mg daily for 3 days and regained full extraocular muscle movement after 1 week. Oral steroid was not initiated. In conclusion, although the isolated unilateral cranial mononeuropathy may improve spontaneously within a certain period of time, a short course of systemic corticosteroids may be considered to hasten the recovery, as it has a favourable outcome.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (31) ◽  
pp. 193-196
Author(s):  
Andreea Marza ◽  
Claudiu Manea

Abstract We report a case of a 47-year-old patient recently diagnosed with left abducens nerve palsy, who was admitted in our clinic with diplopia. The cranio-facial CT scan revealed left sphenoid fungal rhinosinusitis and the patient underwent endoscopic surgery with complete removal of the fungal material. The immediate postoperative evolution of the patient was favourable, with partial improvement of diplopia. The first month follow-up visit revealed the recurrence of the diplopia, so the patient performed an MRI scan of the brain that showed a cavernous sinus meningioma. The patient was referred to a neurosurgeon who choose a “wait-and-see” strategy instead of surgery. The paper presents the limits of computed tomography versus magnetic resonance imaging in the radiologic diagnosis of intracranial tumors.


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