Occipital dural arteriovenous fistulas.
Occipital dural arteriovenous fistulas are discussed with reference to three cases. Two patients presented classically with pulsatile tinnitus and another one with an occipitally located intracerebral haematoma. The importance of thorough bilateral angiographic investigation including both arterial and venous phases with subtraction is stressed. Embolization of the pathological territory of the external carotid artery is the primary method of treatment, sometimes combined with intraoperative embolization. In comparison, surgical approaches are extensive and do not offer guaranteed success, but could be necessary as an adjunct to embolization.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000098:blood supply; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000098:blood supply*