Multidisciplinary Management of Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas Using an Endovascular-First Treatment Strategy: A...

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (sDAVFs) are the most common spinal vascular malformation and a treatable cause of progressive myelopathy, yet diagnosis and optimal management remain challenging. This study presents a nine-year institutional experience using a multidisciplinary treatment algorithm that prioritizes endovascular embolization, with surgery reserved for unsuccessful or contraindicated cases.

We retrospectively analyzed 15 patients treated between 2015 and 2023, all diagnosed by MRI and confirmed by digital subtraction angiography. Endovascular embolization was attempted as the initial treatment modality in all patients using contemporary liquid embolic agents.

Three patients (20%) subsequently required surgical disconnection following unsuccessful or incomplete embolization. Lesions ranged from Th5 to L5, and most patients presented with varying degrees of motor deficits, gait disturbance, paresthesias, or sphincter dysfunction. Neurological improvement occurred in all but one patient, and no treatment-related complications were observed. Prior embolization attempts aided intraoperative localization in surgically treated cases, facilitating precise fistula identification.

These findings demonstrate the feasibility and favorable outcomes of a multidisciplinary, stepwise treatment strategy in this single-center experience. Endovascular embolization served as the initial treatment modality, while surgical disconnection provided an effective complementary option in selected cases where embolization was unsuccessful or incomplete.