Stereotactic radiosurgery of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas.

Depending on their location and angioarchitecture, intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVF) pose various neurologic symptoms as well as a risk of intracranial hemorrhage. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), microsurgery, and embolization play a role in the management of dAVF patients, and, at times, patients undergo a combination of approaches. Comparable to arteriovenous malformations, SRS offers a reasonable rate of angiographic obliteration and symptomatic improvement in selected patients with dAVF. Complications after SRS of dAVF are uncommon and generally manageable. Patients remain at risk for intracranial hemorrhage until the dAVF is completely obliterated.