Motor evoked potentials predicting early recovery from paraparesis after embolisation of a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula

Spinal dural arteriovenous malformation is an increasingly diagnosed cause of ischaemic myelopathy. Though routine intraoperative monitoring has been demonstrated to be of benefit in the endovascular treatment of these lesions, its predictive value has not been well documented. We present the case of an elderly woman with progressive spastic paraparesis who demonstrated marked improvement in limb muscle motor evoked potentials of the lower extremities immediately following endovascular occlusion of the lesion. The patient subsequently showed improvement in strength, sensation and sphincter control.