A case of curable dementia treated by effective endovascular embolization for dural arteriovenous fistula

We report a case in which an effective endovascular treatment cured the worsening of dementia due to a dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF).

A 73-year-old woman suffered for 1.5 years from gait disturbance and disorientation that were suspicious of dementia. A brain MRI revealed that her symptoms were likely due to dAVF. An angiography provided a definitive diagnosis of dural transverse-sigmoid sinus fistula. Transvenous embolization completely occluded the fistula and led to a significant improvement of her cognitive function in tandem with a restoration of the cerebral blood flow.

Endovascular treatment for dAVF is sometimes effective in treating worsening dementia, which might be due to the drastic change in cerebral blood flow in the area relevant to the cognitive function.