Extensive spinal cord infarction after surgical interruption of thoracolumbar dural arteriovenous fistula presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage

Abstract

Nontraumatic intracranial subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) attributable to the thoracolumbar dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) has been extremely rare. A 41-year-old male patient was admitted with severe acute headache, neck stiffness, and pronounced low-back pain radiating to both legs. The T2-weighted MR imaging showed irregular signal void and enlarged, varix like pouch formation with spinal cord compression at the T11-12 level. The angiogram revealed a DAVF. We report a DAVF case with SAH that revealed an extensive infarction from C5 to the conus medullaris after undergoing operative treatment. Copyright © 2009 The Korean Neurosurgical Society.