Bilateral Carotid-Cavernous Fistulas: An Uncommon Cause of Pituitary Enlargement and Hypopituitarism

Abnormal perfusion of the pituitary gland secondary to dural arteriovenous fistulas in the cavernous sinus: dynamic MR findings.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE If venous congestion is the primary cause of pituitary gland enlargement in cases of dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), other abnormal pituitary findings may be detectable on MR images. We sought to investigate the perfusion abnormality of the pituitary gland secondary to dural AVFs in the cavernous sinus and to clarify its clinical importance. METHODS Nine consecutiv...

Embolization of dural cavernous fistulas via superior ophthalmic vein approach.

PURPOSE To present the results of our treatment of dural cavernous sinus fistulas with surgical exposure of the superior ophthalmic vein (SOV), retrograde venous catheterization, and coil embolization of the cavernous sinus. METHODS Twelve patients with dural cavernous sinus fistulas were treated via a retrograde transvenous SOV approach in our hospital during a 3-year period. All patients ha...

Hypopituitarism caused by bilateral internal carotid artery aneurysms with a carotid-cavernous fistula.

Unilateral Direct Carotid Cavernous Fistula Causing Bilateral Ocular Manifestation

Unilateral carotid cavernous fistula presents with ipsilateral ocular findings. Bilateral presentation is only seen in bilateral fistulas, usually associated with indirect (dural) carotid cavernous fistulas. Direct carotid cavernous fistulas are an abnormal communication between the internal carotid artery and the cavernous sinus. They typically begin with a traumatic disruption in the artery w...

Computed tomography of carotid-cavernous fistula.

Fourteen patients with angiographically-proven carotid-cavernous fistulas were evaluated by computed tomography (CT). Unilateral or bilateral exophthalmos was noted in 12 patients. Slight blurring of the margin of the globe was present in two, presumably due to pulsations of the globe or conjunctival edema. Superior ophthalmic veins were prominent in 12 patients and were often larger on the sid...