Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial High-flow Arteriovenous Fistulas by Guglielmi Detachable Coils

Abstract

This study reports our experience in performing transarterial Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) embolization for intracranial high-flow arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and evaluates its efficacy and safety. Over 3 years, 13 patients with 14 intracranial high-flow AVFs had been managed by transarterial GDC embolization in our institution. There were 6 men and 7 women, with a mean age of 27 years. Of these 14 AVFs, 8 were traumatic carotid-cavernous fistulas (TCCFs); 5 were AVFs at the frontal, temporal, parieto-occipital lobes, or associated with arteriovenous malformation (n = 3); 1 was a tentorium AVF. All of these high-flow AVFs were successfully occluded by a single session of transarterial GDC embolization. In 8 patients with TCCFs, the nearby parent arteries were preserved. The average number of coils was 8 and the average length was 126 cm. All AVF-related symptoms resolved immediately or gradually on clinical follow-up. No significant procedure-related neurologic complication or recurrent AVF was seen. All 13 patients were followed up clinically for an average of 16 months (range, 6-25 months). Transarterial GDC embolization is a useful method in the treatment of intracranial high-flow AVFs. GDC affords more control in the placement of coils and proved both efficient and safe in the management of intracranial high-flow AVFs.