BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the spinal cord in patients harboring spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) was carried out to evaluate the feasibility of this new technique to determine the displacement of the spinal cord tracts and to correlate morphologic and functional DTI data (fractional anisotropy [FA] and apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]) with the clinical symptoms.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is one of the most common inherited diseases and as an autosomal dominant genetic disorder results from NF-1 gene mutation with 100% penetration and wide phenotypic variability. The disease can involve a wide variety of tissues derived from all three embryonic layers. NF-1 vasculopathy has been described primarily in peripheral arteries, but arteries supplying the CNS may also be involved. Of those, extracranial vertebral involvement is the commonest and most important. A series of four patients with NF-1 and vascular disease of the vertebral artery is described with a review of the pathophysiology, vascular phenotypes, their management and the pertinent literature.

Foster-Kennedy syndrome was described in 1911 as an ophthalmologic manifestation of compression by a solid tumor in the frontal area with intracranial hypertension (ICHT). We describe a peculiar case of Foster-Kennedy syndrome associated with an arteriovenous malformation in which neither optic nerve compression nor ICHT was obvious. We discuss the different pathogenic mechanisms to explain this case, for which a chronic venous hypertension was the most probabile etiology.