A dural arteriovenous fistula of the tentorium successfully treated by intravascular embolization.

Background: Dural arteriovenous fistulas of the tentorium are rare lesions that often present with intracranial hemorrhage. Definitive treatment is therefore necessary, but transarterial embolization has rarely been curative.

Methods: A 59-year-old man presenting with sudden onset of severe headache had subarachnoid hemorrhage demonstrated by computed tomography. Left carotid angiography showed a tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula fed by a tentorial branch from the internal carotid artery and by a middle meningeal artery; the fistula drained to the marginal sinus via a dilated varicosity. Transarterial embolization successfully obliterated the fistula, and the patient was discharged with no neurologic deficit.

Conclusions: This tentorial fistula, that showed extremely rare angiographic features, particularly venous drainage, was embolized successfully. The literature concerning tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas is discussed in terms of effective therapeutic choice.