Intraorbital arteriovenous fistulas are rare arteriovenous shunts inside the orbit without connection with the cavernous sinus. This article describes a clinical case of multiple metachronous intraorbital arteriovenous shunts in a patient with univentricular heart disease and secondary erythrocytosis. Transarterial embolization of the first shunt had a positive clinical effect for 2 months. The recurrence of symptoms was caused by the formation of a new shunt on the same draining vein, but in a place remote from the previous locus. Repeated embolization gave a positive effect for the same period. The next relapse had a more malignant course, up to dislocation of the eyeball. The right orbit decompression has given a stable positive clinical effect up to the present moment. Based on extremely limited literature data of such cases and our own experience, we concluded that an individual and multidisciplinary approach to such patients with careful postoperative follow-up is necessary.
Read full abstract