Highlights
- •We report DAVFs with progressive myelopathy showing unique MR imaging findings.
- •T2*WI/SWI showed symmetrical dark signals of the central gray matter of spinal cord.
- •We named dark signals “black butterfly” sign.
- •“Black butterfly” sign was probably caused by prolonged venous congestion.
- •Identifying this “black butterfly” sign can facilitate the diagnosis of DAVF.
Abstract
A dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) with spinal perimedullary venous drainage can
cause progressive myelopathy, and it is sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as another
spinal cord disease. Here we report the cases of three individuals with a DAVF (one
craniocervical junction DAVF and two tentorial DAVFs) with progressive myelopathy
showing unique magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings. MR T2*WI or susceptibility-weighted
imaging (SWI) demonstrated symmetrical dark signal intensity lesions predominantly
in the dorsal aspect of medulla and the central gray matter of cervical spinal cord
that showed the “black butterfly” silhouette. Cerebral angiography revealed DAVFs
draining into anterior and posterior spinal veins. Dark signals on T2*WI and SWI were
presumed to be hemorrhages, which were probably caused by prolonged venous congestion.
Identifying this “black butterfly” sign can facilitate the diagnosis of DAVF, differentiating
DAVF from other spinal cord diseases such as demyelinating lesions and neoplasms.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 31, 2017
Accepted:
May 30,
2017
Received in revised form:
May 15,
2017
Received:
January 13,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
