Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Presents Like An Ischemic Stroke

Objective: We report the case of a patient with a dural arteriovenous fistula whose neurobehavioral syndrome was indistinguishable from that of an ischemic stroke. Background: Case studies of dural arteriovenous fistulas primarily describe global cognitive changes like dementia, but detailed neuro-cognitive evaluations of dural arteriovenous fistula patients are rarely reported. Method: We provide a dural arteriovenous fistula case of a patient who presented with aphasia and other symptoms of stroke. Background history, serial neuropsychological data, and angiographic images are presented. Results and Conclusions: Serial neurocognitive data show the extent to which cognitive deficits are reversed with embolization. The case demonstrates that the mechanisms underlying neurocognitive deficits are specific to the fistula's unique hemodynamic features in addition to the location of the dural arteriovenous fistula.