Spinal Vascular Shunts: Single-Center Series and Review of the Literature of Their Classification

Abstract

Spinal arteriovenous shunts (sAVSs) are an uncommon disease, constituting 3 to 4% of intradural lesions; 70% of these lesions are spinal arteriovenous fistulas (sAVFs), whereas spinal arteriovenous malformations (sAVMs) are rarer. Both share the problem of their classification due to the heterogeneity of their angioarchitecture. The aim of this study is to report a series of sAVSs treated in the neurosurgery department of the Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara during the 2018–2020 period and to present an overview of the current literature on sAVS classification. We reviewed all medical records of patients diagnosed with sAVFs and sAVMs during the 2018–2020 period, and then we analyzed images with Horos v4.0.0, illustrated some cases with Clip Studio Paint v1.10.5, and performed a descriptive statistical analysis with SPSS v25. Twelve patients were included in this study, eight of which were women (67%) and four of which were men (33%); the age range was from 3 to 74 years. Eight sAVSs were sAVFs, whereas four were sAVMs. The most frequent clinical manifestation was chronic myelopathy in seven patients (58%). Of those treated only by embolization, seven (70%) resulted in complete occlusion (five sAVFs and two sAVMs), while three (30%) remained with a residual lesion. At last follow-up, five patients (42%) improved clinically, and the seven remaining (58%) maintained the same neurological state. sAVSs require a detailed study of their angioarchitecture for proper management. The endovascular treatment is safe with acceptable cure rates. The surgical option should not be set aside.