Atraumatic Vertebral Arteriovenous Fistula: A Rare Entity with Two Case Reports

BACKGROUND: A vertebral artery arteriovenous fistula is rare and usually due to trauma. Atraumatic cases are quite rare. We reported 2 cases and a review of other reported studies. CASE DESCRIPTION: A spontaneous vertebral-venous fistula is rare, and the 2 cases presented illustrate an underlying spontaneous etiology. The first patient presented with a spontaneous fistula, and the second case occurred in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1. In both cases, the fistulas were diagnosed using computed tomography angiography and treated with occlusion via coil embolization. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular changes are known in patients with neurofibromatosis. A proposed pathogenesis of fistula is that the fragility and defective nature of the arterial wall could be a predisposing factor or it might be congenital. Understanding the clinical symptoms, diagnosis, and effective management strategies are important for physicians treating patients with a vertebral artery arteriovenous fistula.