THROMBOSIS OF SINUS TRANSVERSUS TEMPORAL HEMORRHAGE - DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE OF MRI AND ANGIOGRAPHY

Thrombosis of the transverse sinus was found in six patients with temporal haemorrhage. In isolated thrombosis of the lateral sinus (four patients) symptoms did not differ from those of patients with temporal haemorrhage of other cause. Signs of increased intracranial pressure were only seen in patients with more extensive thrombosis. The thrombosed sinuses appeared primarily hyperdense on CT-scans in three patients. Angiography could not clearly distinguish between thrombosis and hypoplasia or aplasia in two of the four patients with isolated lateral sinus thrombosis. Diagnosis could be confirmed by MRI only in four of our six patients. Probably temporal haemorrhage is more often due to thrombosis of lateral sinus of the vein of Labbe than assumed so far. MRI should be used early because of the better differentiation between thrombosis of hypoplasia of the transverse sinus as compared to angiography.