What is a dural arteriovenous fistula and what are its risks? Dural Arteriovenous Fistula (DAF) is an abnormal arteriovenous shunt that occurs in the dura mater and its appendages (falx, cerebellar curtain and venous sinuses). Patients experience headaches; intracranial murmurs can be heard in sync with the pulse and beat with it, and even violent intracranial hemorrhage, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. How is a dural arteriovenous fistula diagnosed? The diagnosis can be made on the basis of a whole brain angiogram. How is a dural arteriovenous fistula treated? The treatment of this disease is to block the fistula in order to eliminate intracranial murmurs and improve the blood supply to the brain. With the rapid development of endovascular interventional techniques in neurosurgery in China, arterial and venous approaches to embolize dural arteriovenous fistulas have been developed, resulting in a fundamental cure for this disease. This method does not require craniotomy, is less invasive, and has a high cure rate, making it the preferred method for treating dural arteriovenous fistulas.