Embolization and Resection of Epidural Spinal Arteriovenous Malformations: Case Report

Spinal vascular malformations (sVMs) are relatively uncommon, accounting for 5% to 10% of all spinal cord lesions. Spetzler and Kim developed a paradigm to classify sVMs based on a variety of characteristics into 1 of 6 types, including a subcategory for exclusively epidural sVMs. There is a paucity of literature focused on this category, specifically sources describing the clinical manifestation and management of these lesions.

We report 2 cases of purely epidural spinal arteriovenous fistula, with an emphasis on the radiographic features and combined endovascular and microsurgical treatment. We report 2 patients known to have epidural spinal arteriovenous fistula who underwent both embolization and surgical resection between May 2019 and August 2020 at our institution. Data collected included demographic, clinical, and operative course, including age, sex, medical history, presenting symptoms, and preoperative and postoperative imaging. Both of these patients were managed with a combination of an endovascular approach for embolization of feeding arterial source and surgical exploration/resection. In both cases, no residual vascular malformation was identified, and the patients went on to be symptom free after 6 weeks.

This report describes the use of a combination of endovascular and surgical approaches to achieve maximal benefit for 2 patients. These cases reinforce the value of a staged multimodal treatment approach in achieving good functional outcomes for patients with these rare and challenging entities.