Spinal cord imaging in spastic paraparesis: are we cutting it thin enough? CASE REPORT

Imaging in spinal dural arteriovenous fistula 2 ARC Publishing Background Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF) is a rare condition, but accounts for great disability in those affected. SDAVF are more common in men and typically present in the fifth and sixth decades of life [1]. The patients usually present with lower extremity spastic weakness, sensory symptoms, bowel/bladder disturbances and back pain [1, 2]. Despite improvements in spinal imaging, SDAVF diagnosis is often difficult or masked by more common entities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) typically shows dilated perimedullary veins, spinal cord swelling, and central high signal intensities on T2-weighted images [3], but SDAVF presenting without spinal cord signal abnormalities have also been described [4].