A Combined Open and Endovascular Approach for the Treatment of a Torcular Dural Arteriovenous Fistula

Cranial dural arteriovenous fistulae (dAVFs) are complex vascular lesions, rarely encountered within the pediatric population. Endovascular embolization has revolutionized the management of these lesions and should be regarded as the first-line treatment for the majority of dAVFs; however, in a subset of particularly complicated lesions, traditional routes of access either do not exist or have been eliminated in the course of prior embolization attempts. We describe the case of an 11-year-old boy with a complicated torcular dAVF refractory to multiple attempts at standard endovascular treatment. He was cured after direct surgical puncture of the superior sagittal sinus to obtain vascular access for coil embolization of the venous sac. We review the technical aspects of this particular case while highlighting the anatomic features of those dAVFs that require nontraditional, surgical access for appropriate treatment. We also describe a simple algorithm, which may help in identifying the small subset of dAVF that requires a hybrid open and endovascular approach to effectively access the fistulous point and achieve disconnection.