[Correlation between clinical symptoms and draining pathways in dural arteriovenous malformation of the cavernous...

The clinical picture of dural arteriovenous malformations cannot be explained on the basis of degree of arteriovenous shunting in many cases. In this study, therefore we focused on the relation between clinical symptoms and draining pathways. Eighteen patients with dural arteriovenous malformation in cavernous region were studied before treatment. All patients underwent examination for their clinical symptoms, opthalmological examination and angiography on admission. Angiograms were used to determine the degree of arteriovenous shunting and the direction of draining pathway. The relationship between severity and shunt volume was inexplicable in many cases. However, close correlations appeared to exist between ocular hypertension and drainage pathways toward the orbit, between cranial nerve signs and drainage pathways toward the posterior fossa, and between headache and drainage pathways toward the cortical veins.