Accurate intraoperative localization of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae with embolization coil: technical note

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae represent a potentially curable cause of a progressive myelopathy and therefore should be treated aggressively by either endovascular or surgical methods. In the surgical treatment of these lesions, intraoperative radiographic localization of the site of the fistula can be problematic. We describe an endovascular technique in which radiopaque microcoils are placed in the major feeding artery(ies) after completion of spinal angiography, which then provides a marker that is easily visualized with intraoperative x-rays, allowing effective localization of the site of the fistula.