Brinjikji, Waleed

Abstract BACKGROUND Spinal epidural arteriovenous fistulas (SEDAVFs) are an increasingly recognized form of spinal vascular malformation and are distinct from spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (SDAVFs). Differentiating between these 2 entities is important as operative strategies often differ based on angioarchitecture. OBJECTIVE To compare demographic, clinical, anatomic, and imaging findings of SDAVFs and SEDAVFs. METHODS Consecutive patients diagnosed and/or treated for SDAVF or SEDAVF at our institution between January 2000 and November 2018 were included. Data were collected on demographics, clinical presentation, and imaging findings. All cross-sectional and angiographic imaging were reviewed. To compare continuous variables, t -test was used Chi-squared was used for categorical variables. RESULTS A total of 169 patients were included. In total 47 patients had SEDAVFs and 122 patients had SDVAFs. Clinical presentation and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging findings were similar between the 2 groups. SEDAVF patients were significantly more likely to have an epidural venous pouch on gadolinium bolus MR angiography (MRA) (0.0% vs 92.1%, P < .0001). SEDAVFs were more commonly located in the lumbar and sacral spine than SDAVFs (85.1% vs 34.4%, P < .0001). When in the lumbar spine, SEDAVFs unlike SDAVFs were more likely to involve the most caudal segments (L4 and L5, P = .02). CONCLUSION SEDAVF share clinical and radiological findings similar to SDAVFS, including high T2 cord signal, cord enhancement, and perimedullary flow voids on conventional MRI. However, they have a characteristic appearance on spinal MRA and DSA with a pouch of epidural contrast. SEDAVFs are more commonly located in the lumbosacral spine.

Abstract BACKGROUND A number of studies have demonstrated spinal anomalies associated with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS). To date, there are no large consecutive series examining the prevalence and subtype distribution of spinal neurovascular malformations in patients with KTS. OBJECTIVE To report the spectrum and incidence of spinal neurovascular manifestations in the KTS population. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study. Consecutive patients with definite KTS as defined by International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies criteria who underwent spinal neuroimaging at our institution were included. All studies were evaluated by a staff neuroradiologist and a senior radiology resident for the presence of developmental venous anomalies, cavernous malformations (CMs), and arteriovenous shunts (AVS). RESULTS A total of 116 patients with definite KTS who underwent spinal neuroimaging were included. A total of 23 neurovascular anomalies were found in 19 patients (16.4%), including 4 patients with multiple anomalies. These included 5 patients with spinal cord CMs (4.3%), 14 patients with a paraspinal or epidural venous malformation (12.1%), and 4 patients with an AVS (3.4%). Of the AVS, 3 were epidural arteriovenous fistulas, 1 of which likely formed de novo in an epidural venous malformation. One was a conus medullaris arteriovenous malformation. CONCLUSION Our study cohort of 116 KTS patients demonstrated a wide spectrum of spinal neurovascular anomalies with a relatively high prevalence. Potential phenotypic descriptions of KTS should include the possibility for spinal neurovascular anomalies.

Dural arteriovenous fistulas of the skull base commonly present with pulsatile tinnitus. In our experience, transvenous embolization of dural arteriovenous fistulas of the skull base represents a safe and effective treatment modality due to its precision in treatment of the site of convergence of all feeding arteries and the low risk of ischemic complications. We present a case of an adult patient who presented to our institution with pulsatile tinnitus several months following a motor vehicle accident. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a dural arteriovenous fistula at the junction of the posterior condylar vein and suboccipital venous plexus supplied by branches of the vertebral artery, occipital artery, and ascending pharyngeal artery. In this operative video we demonstrate this technique and provide an in-depth discussion of our treatment decision-making process and the anatomical considerations involved in treating this lesion. Video 1

Background Cerebral venous sinus stenting is an established treatment for patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), refractory to medical management and with stenotic venous sinus on conventional cerebral venography. Currently, there are no clear guidelines on optimal noninvasive imaging modality for routine post-stenting follow-up. We investigated diagnostic yield of CT venography (CTV) for evaluation of stent patency. Methods We reviewed our clinical database of patients with a diagnosis of IIH, who underwent stenting of stenotic transverse or transverse/sigmoid sinus junction. Patients who had follow-up CTVs after more than 30 days were included in the final study group. All CTVs were reviewed by two readers for in-stent thrombosis, extrinsic stent compression, juxta-stent stenosis, and new contralateral venous sinus stenosis. Inter-observer agreement and association of stent patency with clinical outcomes (headache and papilledema) were assessed. Results In all 36 included patients with 38 cerebral venograms for stenting, follow-up CTVs demonstrated adequate opacifications of the venous sinuses and stents for confident evaluation for in-stent thrombosis, extrinsic stent compression, juxta-stent stenosis, and new contralateral venous sinus stenosis, with inter-observer agreement coefficient of 0.7, 1.0, 0.8, and 1.0 respectively. Association between abnormal CTV and higher rates of persistent headache and lower rates of headache improvement/resolution was statistically significant (P-value of 0.01). Conclusion CTV is a reliable noninvasive imaging modality for evaluation of cerebral venous sinuses and stent patency following treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension with venous sinus stenting and could be used as a routine follow-up study.