Spontaneous Closure of Traumatic Middle Meningeal Arteriovenous Fistula: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Traumatic middle meningeal arteriovenous fistula (TMMA) is a rare neurosurgical disorder that usually occurs as a single lesion. Here, we report a case of TMMA occurring with carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF). A 42-year-old man was admitted to the hospital one month after sustaining a head injury. He had right eye exophthalmia 10 days after the accident, and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) examination revealed CCF, which was treated by detachable balloon embolization. Concurrent TMMA was found in the patient, he received conservative treatment for three months and follow-up DSA revealed spontaneous closure of the TMMA. The results of our study suggest that treatment of CCF may lead to spontaneous closure of concurrent TMMA. Here we discuss the possible mechanisms underlying these results, and review the relevant literature.