Management of Petrous and Tentorial Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas: A Systematic Review
Bibliographic record
Abstract
The petrous and tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas are vascular malformations that are very infrequent but highly aggressive, with a significant risk of intracranial hemorrhage and neurological deficits. Optimal management remains one of the most debated subjects, with various series reporting endovascular and microsurgical approaches. Therefore, this systematic review aims to assess the efficacy, safety, and outcomes of different treatment modalities of petrous and tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) based on clinical presentation, imaging techniques, treatment outcome, and complications arising in the course of their treatment. A systematic review based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was carried out, which aimed to identify literature regarding both petrous and tentorial DAVFs. Major databases, including PubMed and Scopus, are searched using various related terms. Patient demographics as well as clinical presentations of patients with petrous and tentorial DAVFs were abstracted concerning imaging modalities, approaches adopted for their treatment, and the eventual outcome. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and data were synthesized through descriptive analysis. A total of 14 studies involving 198 patients were included. The mean patient age ranged from 38 to 59.8 years, with a male predominance (78%). Clinical presentations varied from headaches and tinnitus to life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was the gold standard for diagnosis, while MRI and CT were useful adjuncts in assessing hemorrhage and venous drainage. Endovascular embolization using Onyx achieved complete obliteration in the majority of cases, though recurrence was noted in fistulas with complex arterial supply. Microsurgical approaches, particularly in cases where endovascular treatment was insufficient, demonstrated high cure rates with low recurrence. Complications included cranial nerve palsies and, in rare cases, arterial or venous rupture. Mortality was low, with a case fatality rate of 0%-15.4% across the studies. Both endovascular and microsurgical treatments are effective for managing petrous and tentorial DAVFs, though microsurgery provides superior results in complex or recurrent cases. A combination of embolization and surgery offers the best chance for durable fistula obliteration. Early diagnosis and individualized treatment plans guided by advanced imaging are critical for optimizing patient outcomes.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.004 | 0.018 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.007 | 0.007 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.009 | 0.009 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Open science | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.003 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".