Background: Microclip placement during AVM resection is generally accepted to be a safe practice in neurosurgery. Here, we describe an unusual complication involving cranio-spinal clip migration discovered five years after the initial AVM surgery.
Case presentation: A 53-year-old man underwent resection of a superior vermian AVM that required the placement of two microclips during the procedure. Five years after surgery, the patient suffered from descending sensory radiculopathy that resolved spontaneously. The workup revealed cranio-spinal migration of one of the previously placed microclips.
Conclusions: AVM clip migration is a rare phenomenon; however, the diagnosis should be entertained in patients with posterior fossa instrumentation who suffer from unusual neurologic symptoms.