TY - JOUR T1 - Posterior fossa dural arteriovenous fistula presenting clinically as a carotid–cavernous fistula treated by a direct access cavernous sinus approach JF - BMJ Case Reports DO - 10.1136/bcr-2013-010939 VL - 2013 SP - bcr2013010939 AU - Ai Peng Tan AU - Manish Taneja AU - Francis Hui Y1 - 2013/12/12 UR - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2013/bcr-2013-010939.abstract N2 - Dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) represent approximately 10–15% of all cerebral vascular malformations. Although dAVFs can occur anywhere in the brain, they occur most frequently in the cavernous and transverse-sigmoid sinuses. Posterior fossa dAVFs presenting clinically as carotid–cavernous fistulae (CCF) are rarely encountered in clinical practice. We discuss and illustrate an unusual case of a left posterior fossa dAVF that presented clinically with chemosis and early visual impairment, similar to that of CCF. This was subsequently treated by a direct access cavernous sinus approach. We describe the technique used to access the cavernous sinus directly in cases where conventional transvenous and transarterial routes have been exhausted. ER -