A case of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula draining into the spinal medullary veins

Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas draining into the spinal medullar y veins (ICDAVFMs) are exceedingly rare lesions. Their diagnosis is difficu lt and is often made late. About twenty well documented cases have been pub lished. We report a case in a 55-year-old woman who presented with persiste nt interscapular pain and neurological evidence of ascending myelopathy aft er therapy for cervicobrachial neuralgia. ICDAVFM should be considered by r heumatologists in patients with clinical and radiological findings suggesti ve of spinal cord disease. particularly if these findings indicate involvem ent of the medulla oblongata or cervical spinal cord.