What Are Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas?
What Are Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas?
Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas are abnormal connections between a vein covering the brain or spinal cord and the artery.
Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas (dAVFs) can carry high-pressure arterial blood into the venous sinuses or veins that normally carry low-pressure.
This causes deoxygenated blood returning to the heart from the brain.
The decrease in oxygen and increase in pressure can cause neurological symptoms and bleeding of the brain.
The brain hemorrhages.
The following are several medical links that may help you to understand better, what are dural arteriovenous fistulas;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2747405/
What Causes Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas?
The origin of most dural arteriovenous fistulas is not clear.
Dural arteriovenous fistulas may be a congenital or birth defect.
Whereas, other dural arteriovenous fistulas are the results of previous brain surgery, tumors or traumatic head injury.
The Mayo Clinic posted that there is evidence to indicate benign meningeal tumors may be involved in the development of dural arteriovenous fistulas.
What Are The Symptoms Of Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas?
People experience a wide range of symptoms with dural arteriovenous fistulas.
Some people with dural arteriovenous fistulas may not have any symptoms, whereas other people may have more benign dural arteriovenous fistulas symptoms that can include headaches, hearing problems, or an array of vision issues.
Other individuals with dural arteriovenous fistulas may gradually experience facial pain, fatigue, dementia and issues with their coordination.
In aggressive dural arteriovenous fistulas, symptoms can result in a intracerebral hemorrhage.
How Are Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas Treated?
The treatment of your dural arteriovenous fistulas depends on the blood vessels involved.
Treatment for dural arteriovenous fistulas may include:
- Observation
- Endovascular embolization
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery/ Gamma Knife
- Open Surgery
Neurosurgeon Geoffrey Colby
Neurosurgeon Geoffrey Colby operated on my husband's Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas (dAVF's) .
My husband's Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas surgery was unexpected but successful.
You can read about our experience on this HypoGal Blog post.
Our family is in awe of Dr. Geoffrey Colby’s talented surgical skills.
Words will never be able to express our gratitude to Dr. Colby.
I would like to acknowledge that Neurosurgeon Geoffrey Colby saved my husband, my girls’ father and friend to many, thank you!
Neurosurgeon, Geoffrey Colby performs both cranial and intravenous brain surgery.
The following is a YouTube video where Neurosurgeon, Geoffrey Colby explains his expertize:
You can read about Dr. Geoffrey Colby’s medical background on this link.
Resources:
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/dural_arteriovenous_fistulae/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dural-arteriovenous-fistulas/diagnosis-treatment/syc-20364281https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2747405/
http://radiology.ucla.edu/dural-arteriovenous-fistula
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