Familial incidence of the congenital torcular dural arteriovenous shunt: Case report and review of the literature

Congenital dural sinus malformations are rare but can be major causes of mortality and morbidity in the pediatric population if not detected and managed urgently. Lesions involving large draining sinus structures such as superior sagittal sinus and torcular herophili can result in significant intracranial circulation impairment mostly due to venous drainage disturbance. Early detection plays a pivotal role in the outcome of the patients. Rarely familial incidence of some types of arteriovenous malformations in isolation from other congenital hereditary disorders has been reported. Knowledge of the familial association of congenital dural sinus malformations may raise the awareness for considering the possibility of occurrence of these lesions in the relatives of index cases. Herein, we describe the occurrence of giant torcular dural shunt in two pediatric cousins treated with endovascular embolization.