The diagnosis of dural spinal vascular malformations

Abstract

Dural spinal arteriovenous malformations are increasingly recognized as a rare but treatable cause of progressive paraplegia, but the clinical picture, especially in early cases, is not easy to recognize and operation may therefore be delayed until considerable loss of function has occurred. We present a series of seven cases which illustrate the characteristics and diagnostic difficulties of this condition.

Key Words:

• Vascular malformation
• spinal
• diagnosis