Spinal Arteriovenous Shunts

Abstract

Pursuing our previous review of spinal arteriovenous shunts (AVS) of all types (Berenstein 1992; Rodesch 1992; Rodesch 1993), we separate these according to the anatomic spaces in which they are found (subpial, durai, extradural). This distinction according to anatomic spaces correlates to the various pathological entities encountered: subpial and spinal cord arteriovenous malformations (SCAVM); durai and durai arteriovenous shunts (DAVS) embedded in the dural sheet and draining into spinal cord veins (Kendall 1977; Merland 1980), which are absent in the paediatric population; and extradural and paraspinal arteriovenous shunts (PSAVS), which lead to neurological symptoms through various physiopathological mechanisms such as venous congestion, venous compression and arterial steal (Hui 1994; see Chap. 10).