A case of falcine sinus dural arteriovenous fistula

Abstract

Background and importance: The falcine sinus is an embryonic vessel that connects the superior and inferior sagittal sinuses and mostly closes after birth. Although some cases of persistent falcine sinus have been reported, dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) associated with the falcine sinus has not previously been reported.

Clinical presentation: A 60-year-old man presented with asymptomatic dAVFs on digital subtraction angiography. The dAVFs were fed mainly by the cortical branch of the left anterior cerebral artery and drained into the falcine sinus. Intraoperatively, all veins draining in a retrograde manner into cortical veins were obstructed. However, cortical venous reflux did not disappear before removal of the falx cerebri, including the falcine sinus and inferior sagittal sinus. In this case, we considered falcine sinus dAVF as equivalent to olfactory groove dAVF because the medial olfactory artery, in its role as a common feeding artery in olfactory groove dAVF, is a rudiment of the anterior cerebral artery as the main feeding artery in this case. Intraoperative findings and the surgical specimen revealed a small vessel network in the falx cerebri communicating with the falcine and inferior sagittal sinuses, which was considered to represent a falcine venous plexus, not a vessel anomaly.

Conclusion: Extensive removal of the falx cerebri including the falcine sinus or complete endovascular obliteration of the whole falcine sinus as early as possible represents an important strategy in the surgical treatment of falcine sinus dAVF.