A case of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula draining into the spinal medullary veins.

Abstract

Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas draining into the spinal medullary veins (ICDAVFMs) are exceedingly rare lesions. Their diagnosis is difficult and is often made late. About twenty well documented cases have been published. We report a case in a 55-year-old woman who presented with persistent interscapular pain and neurological evidence of ascending myelopathy after therapy for cervicobrachial neuralgia. ICDAVFM should be considered by rheumatologists in patients with clinical and radiological findings suggestive of spinal cord disease, particularly if these findings indicate involvement of the medulla oblongata or cervical spinal cord.