Magnification angiography of dural carotid-cavernous sinus fistulae with emphasis on clinical and angiographic evolution.

Eleven patients with dural carotid-cavernous sinus fistulae were studied with selective magnification angiography. The angiographic features of this condition were analyzed in detail. The arterial plexus normally present in and around the cavernous sinus has been thought to rupture into the sinus and establish an arteriovenous fistula with an extensive dural arterial supply. Changeable angiographic and clinical findings, including spontaneous regression, can be explained on the basis of thrombosis and occlusion in the arterial network. The indication for and methods of embolization are also discussed.