We report a patient with a petrosal arterio-venous dural fistula draining into the ponto-mesencephalic and medullary venous systems presenting with edema of the brain stem and complete reversal of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities after combined endovascular and surgical treatments. The venous anatomy of the posterior fossa and the significance of the venous involvement as the cause of clinical symptoms and imaging abnormalities in cerebro-medullary vascular lesions are discussed.
Keywords: Dural arteriovenous fistula; cerebral venous infarction; posterior fossa bridging veins; superior petrosal vein.
© The Author(s) 2015.