Patient and imaging characteristics with and without CSF-venous fistulaa
| Total (n = 48) | CVF Absent (n = 25) | CVF Present (n = 23) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient characteristics | ||||
| Age, mean (SD) | 54 (12.0) | 48 (11.5) | 60 (9.7) | <.001 |
| Female | 37 (77.1) | 18 (72.0) | 19 (83) | .38 |
| Orthostatic/Valsalva headache | 35 (72.9) | 17 (68) | 18 (78) | .42 |
| CVF characteristics | ||||
| Right side | 16 (70) | |||
| CVF level | ||||
| T1–T5 | 4 (17%) | |||
| T6–T12 | 18 (78%) | |||
| L1 | 1 (4%) | |||
| MRI brain SIH findings | ||||
| Engorgement of venous sinus | 21 (44) | 0 (0) | 21 (91) | <.001 |
| Pachymeningeal enhancement | 21 (44) | 0 (0) | 21 (91) | <.001 |
| Suprasellar cistern effacement | 26 (54) | 7 (28) | 19 (83) | <.001 |
| Subdural fluid collection | 1 (2) | 0 (0) | 1 (4.3) | .48 |
| Prepontine cistern effacement | 35 (73) | 13 (52) | 22 (96) | <.001 |
| Decreased mamillopontine distance | 33 (69) | 12 (48) | 21 (91) | .001 |
| Bern SIH Score | 4 (1–8) | 1 (0–3) | 8 (6–8) | <.001 |
| Bern SIH score category | ||||
| Low | 19 (40) | 19 (76) | 0 (0) | |
| Intermediate | 7 (15) | 6 (24) | 1 (4) | |
| High | 22 (46) | 0 (0) | 22 (96) |
↵a For the categoric variables, the data are presented as n (%) and are compared between groups via χ2 or Fisher exact tests. For the continuous variables, the age is reported as a mean (SD) and is compared between groups via an independent t test, and the other continuous variables are reported as a median (IQR) and are compared between groups via a Mann-Whitney U test. A P value of <.05 was considered to be indicative of a statistically significant result and is reported in bold.