Dural-pial arteriovenous malformation after sinus thrombosis.

BACKGROUND We report an unusual case of acquired dural-pial arteriovenous malformation (AVM) following sinus thrombosis. CASE DESCRIPTION Initial angiography performed in a 39-year-old man showed thrombosis of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) and the right transverse sinus (TS) but no vascular malformations. Follow-up angiography 29 months later revealed recanalization of the SSS and the TS, retrograde cortical venous drainage which suggested that thrombosis of the sinuses probably propagated into the adjacent parietal cortical veins, and development of a dural-pial AVM at or near the site of thrombi in more than one cortical vein. Complete surgical excision of the lesion was accomplished without neurological deterioration. CONCLUSIONS The present case suggests the possibility that the pial AVM is not only a congenital condition but also may develop as an acquired lesion.