CT of venous angiomas of the brain.

Venous angiomas are very uncommon vascular malformations of the brain, which traditionally are described as having no arterial component [1]. Recently , however, both their rarity [2] and their lack of enlarged arterial feeders [3] have been questioned. The angiographic appearance of venous angiomas has been well described and usually is quite specific [4-8]. Computed tomography (CT), on the other hand, has been cons idered nonspeci fic for venous angiomas, necessitating angiography to confirm the diagnosis [6-9]. Two cases of venous angioma of the brain are presented to demonstrate that the diagnosis can be established with a high degree of certainty by CT alone in some instances. High-quality CT scanning during the first passage of an intravenous bolus of contrast material is capable of imaging the converging medullary veins which , in many venous angiomas, are considerably larger than normal medullary veins.