DSA Examination and Embolization Therapy of Spinal Vascular Malformations

Objective To evaluate DSA examination and embolization treatment of spinal vascular malformations in clinical practice.Materials and Methods This study included 9 patients with spinal vascular malformations. Clinically, all patients showed signs of slowly progressing impairment of spinal cord. Using Seldinger technique, angiography of each pair of intercostals and lumbar arteries was carried out. For patients with suspected cervical vascular malformations, angiography of bilateral vertebral arteries, and bilateral thyrocervical and costocervical trunks was performed. Six cases were treated with embolization only, while 2 with surgery only. The remaining one received no treatment. Results The displaying rate of the lesions on selective myeloangiographs with DSA was 100%. Obvious improvement in clinical symptoms was seen in the 6 patients receiving embolization treatment.Conclusion Selective myeloangiography with DSA is a reliable technique for the diagnosis of spinal vascular malformations. Embolization is a simple and minor invasive procedure with less complication, therefore, it is an ideal therapy for spinal vascular malformations.