Treatment of cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas with exclusive cortical venous drainage: A single-center cohort of 35 patients:

Background and purposeDural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) with cortical venous drainage often present with hemorrhage or neurological deficits and prompt treatment is indicated. Disconnection of the draining vein is considered curative. We present the multimodality treatment results of 35 patients with cranial DAVFs with exclusive cortical venous drainage.Materials and methodsBetween January 2010 and January 2017, 35 consecutive patients with cranial dural fistulas with exclusive cortical venous drainage were treated. There were 27 men and eight women, mean age 68 years (range 45–87). Clinical presentation was hemorrhage in 23 (66%), pulsatile bruit in two (6%), seizures in one (3%) and blurred vision in one (3%). In eight patients (22%), the DAVF was an incidental finding. Location of the DAVFs was convexity in 25 (71%), posterior fossa in eight (23%) and tentorium in two (6%).ResultsSurgery was performed in four patients with anterior cranial fossa fistulas and in one patient with a tentorial dural fis...