Dural arteriovenous malformation manifesting as dementia due to ischemia in bilateral thalami. A case report.
BACKGROUND
Although dementia is one of the curable manifestations of a dural arteriovenous malformation (AVM), the pathophysiology remains unclear.


METHODS
We describe an elderly patient who had an AVM in the tentorium and manifested signs of dementia from ischemia, predominantly in the bilateral thalami. Intravascular embolization of the dural AVM resulted in amelioration of signs of dementia, and this improvement was consistent with that of neuroradiological and hemodynamic conditions in the thalami.


CONCLUSIONS
The coincidental improvement of CBF in the thalami and signs of dementia after embolization of the AV shunt supports the concept of primary participation of the thalami in the pathophysiology of dementia of vascular origin in our patient.
D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D013788:Thalamus / Q000098:blood supply*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed