Endovascular treatment of traumatic high flow dural arterio-venous fistula involving the middle meningeal artery and facial veins

Abstract

Dural arterio-venous fistulas are rare lesions. Traumatic dural AV-fistulas in particular, are very rare complications of head and neck trauma. We report on a 59-year old man with a severe facial and head trauma. Initial computed tomography demonstrated a left frontal subdural hematoma, leading to progressive midline shift. Additionally, a complex skull base fracture was present, involving the frontal, temporal and sphenoid bone. A few days after the accident the patient reported a left pulsatile tinnitus. Subsequent selective carotid angiography revealed a high flow dural arterio-venous fistula involving the middle meningeal artery and facial veins. Complete endovascular embolization was performed by a transarterial approach using microparticles and an electrolytically detachable coil resulting in an immediate disappearance of the tinnitus. Remarkably, this case nicely illustrates possible "dangerous" collateral circulation to the ophthalmic artery-a feature that should be kept in mind during endovascular treatment of this entity.