Rare Case of Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistula with Radiculopathy, without Myelopathy or Spinal Edema on Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
BACKGROUND
Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (SDAVFs) are the most common type of spinal arteriovenous malformations; they frequently cause progressive myelopathy including gait disturbances and sensory disorders.


CASE DESCRIPTION
We report a rare case of a middle-aged man who experienced right-sided chest pain and Th4 radiculopathy, without any other neurologic presentations. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a flow void sign on the dorsal aspect of the spinal cord; spinal angiography revealed an arteriovenous shunt between a radicular artery and an intradural vein. Suspecting SDAVF as the cause of the chest pain, we performed surgical resection. Intraoperatively, we observed compression of the rootlet by the draining vein. Right chest pain disappeared completely after obliteration of the SDAVF. The present patient had vascular compression of the spinal nerve rootlet without any venous congestion.


CONCLUSIONS
Our experience shows that SDAVF can present not only as a myelopathy but also as a radiculopathy, indicating that radiculopathy may become a main symptom of SDAVF.
['Oki|Sogo|S|', 'Osanai|Toshiya|T|', 'Tokairin|Kikutaro|K|', 'Takamiya|Soichiro|S|', 'Yamazaki|Kazuyoshi|K|', 'Imai|Tetsuaki|T|', 'Seki|Toshitaka|T|']
D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction D020785:Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations D004487:Edema D006801:Humans D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D011843:Radiculopathy D013116:Spinal Cord D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae
Central nervous system vascular malformation Diagnosis Etiology Spinal cord disease