2003 Volume 12 Issue 9 Pages 642-646
We report a case of a spontaneous vertebral arteriovenous fistula (AVF) . A 38-year-old man developed the numbness and the weakness of the left upper limb 2 months ago. MRI showed an expanded anterior spinal dural venous plexus, which was located in the left spinal canal at the levels of C3 to C7. Angiography showed an arteriovenous shunt from the radicular artery of the proximally dilated left vertebral artery. The AVF drained into the anterior internal vertebral venous plexus at the level of C7. Embolization of the shunt point via vertebral artery was successfully performed with coils and a detachable balloon. After the endovascular obliteration of the fistula, he demonstrated the remarkable improvement of the numbness and the weakness of the left upper extremity. In a case of a spinal AVF, the endovascular treatment was recommended as a first choice of the treatment.
