Transcondylar approach for dural arteriovenous fistulas of the cervicomedullary junction.
BACKGROUND
Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas are abnormal arteriovenous connections on the surface of the dura. The site of the fistula is most commonly in the thoracic and lumbosacral regions and they are rarely located in the cervical region.


METHODS
The patients had two asymptomatic dural arteriovenous fistulas of the cervicomedullary junction fed by the left posterior meningeal artery and draining to the dilated coronal venous plexus and the radiculomedullary vein.


RESULTS
The lesions were successfully treated by surgical interruption of the intrathecal vein with coagulation via a suboccipital transcondylar approach and a condylar fossa approach. Both patients left the hospital without significant deficits.


CONCLUSIONS
We recommend that dural arteriovenous fistulas in the cervical region be surgically treated.
Niwa
J
J
Department of Neurosurgery, Hakodate City Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan.
Matsumura
S
S
Maeda
Y
Y
Ohoyama
H
H
D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000601:surgery*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata; D008875:Middle Aged; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000379:methods; D013116:Spinal Cord; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*