Prevalence and anatomical characteristics of developmental venous anomalies: an MRI study
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DIAGNOSTIC NEURORADIOLOGY
Prevalence and anatomical characteristics of developmental venous anomalies: an MRI study Karolina Brzegowy 1 & Natalia Kowalska 1 & Bernard Solewski 1 & Agata Musiał 1 & Tomasz Kasprzycki 1 & Izabela Herman-Sucharska 2,3 & Jerzy A. Walocha 1 Received: 10 September 2020 / Accepted: 17 November 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Purpose Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) are extreme anatomical venous variations formed by multiple radiating medullary veins, which converge centripetally into a single collecting vein. Their coexistence with symptomatic cavernous malformations (CMs) has been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics of DVAs using MRI. Methods A total of 6948 head MRIs of adult Caucasian patients were retrospectively analyzed to determine the number and locations of DVAs. We collected the data on the termination of the collecting vein, the prevalence of DVA-related CMs, and MRI FLAIR signal-hyperintensity corresponding to the location of the DVA. Results At least one DVA was identified in 7.46% of the patients. The prevalence decreased with age, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of − 0.7328. A total of 599 DVAs were identified. Multiple DVAs were found in 10.92% of the patients with DVAs. The DVAs were identified more often in the supratentorial region (73.12%, p < 0.0001), and the most common location was the frontal lobe (35.23%). The collecting vein usually drained into the superficial cerebral veins (68.78%). CMs were observed in 4.14% of the patients with DVAs, and the prevalence showed a positive correlation with age. Signal-intensity abnormalities were identified in the vicinity of 5.18% DVAs. Conclusion Knowledge about characteristics of DVAs and associated anomalies is essential for neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons. The large number of currently available diagnostic studies enables us to assess anatomical variants on a great number of subjects. Keywords Anatomy . Developmental venous anomaly . Cavernous malformation . Vascular anatomy . Venous system
Introduction Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs), previously referred to as venous angiomas, are currently regarded as extreme anatomical venous variations [1, 2]. A DVA is composed of multiple radiating medullary veins converging centripetally into a single larger collecting vein, which ultimately drains into either
* Karolina Brzegowy [email protected] 1
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
2
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
3
Voxel Diagnostic Medical Center, Krakow, Poland
superficial or deep cerebral venous system [3, 4]. Its characteristic appearance on contrast enhancement CT or MRI is described as “umbrella” or “caput medusae” [2, 5]. Developmental venous anomalies are considered to be anatomical variants of cerebral veins rather than pathologies, as they are generall
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