Spontaneous disappearance of arteriovenous fistula between the vertebral artery and deep cervical vein--case report.

A 58-year-old female was readmitted with pulsatile tinnitus in the right ear 8 months after subtemporo-occipital transtentorial clipping of a peripheral superior cerebellar artery aneurysm. On examination, she was normal except for pulsatile bruit over the right mastoid region. Angiography showed a fistulous communication between the muscular branches of the right vertebral artery and the deep cervical vein. The incision of the aneurysm surgery was supratentorial, so the only possible cause of the upper cervical arteriovenous (AV) fistula was fine gold acupuncture needles implanted for bronchial asthma 18 years before. The AV fistula disappeared spontaneously after 1 month, possibly because of thrombosis of the affected veins.