"T1: intramedullary hypointensity and flow voids on the cord surface may be seen"
"CT angiography: may successfully localise the fistula in up to 75% of cases 5"
"CT myelography: may demonstrate tortuous filling defects due to dilated veins 5"
"the exception is SDAVFs of the upper cervical spine (C1-C2) which often drain intracranially and present more commonly with subarachnoid haemorrhage 5"
Expected headings
"Signal characteristics"
"The most common clinical presentation is of a slowly progressive myelopathy, with common symptoms including progressive lower limb weakness, gait dysfunction, trunk and/or lower limb sensory changes, back pain, and sphincter dysfunction 2. The onset of symptoms is typically insidious, with a slowly progressive course occurring over several years, although there can be acute-on-chronic decompensations 2. There is often a significant delay between presentation and diagnosis 2."
"There is typically cord enlargement in the lower thoracic region and conus medullaris, with signal change involving multiple spinal segments 2. The segmental level of cord enlargement and signal change does not necessarily correlate with the location of the fistula 5."
"endovascular treatment is contraindicated if the radicular artery also supplies the anterior spinal artery; embolisation of a fistula that supplies a posterior spinal artery remains controversial 5"
"After treatment of the fistula, the T2 hyperintensity, prominent flow voids, and enhancement should decrease with time but can persist for up to a year. These postoperative imaging features do not correlate with clinical outcome 5. If treated early, motor and sensory function can be improved or stabilised in most cases 2. Pain and bowel and bladder dysfunction are only reversed in a minority of patients 5."