Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas in the Parasellar Region Other Than the Cavernous Sinus.

Abstract

Besides cavernous sinus (CS) dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), AVF may develop around the parasellar region. They can cause various symptoms, and some of them may show similar symptoms to those of CS dural AVF. Therefore, these AVFs may be misdiagnosed as CS dural AVFs. In this review, we divided parasellar AVFs into four groups based on their locations related to the CS: anterior group (orbit), anterolateral group (sphenoid wing), posteroinferior group (inferior petrosal sinus and clivus), and posterior group (superior petrosal sinus and petrosal vein). Although parasellar AVFs share common points, there are many differences between the four groups. We herein discuss commonalities and differences in parasellar AVFs based on a review of the literature and our experience.