• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.447-455
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• 1995

Cavernous sinus thrombosis is one of the major complications of abscesses of the maxillofacial region. The initial symptoms of CST are usually pain in the eye and tenderness to pressure. this is associated with high fluctuating fever, chills, rapid pulse, and sweating. Venous obstruction subsequently causes edema of the eyelids, lacrimation, proptosis, chemosis and retinal hemorrhages. Blindness is sometimes an accompaniment of cavernous sinus thrombosis when the infection also involves the orbit. There is also cranial nerve involvement (oculomotor, troclear, abducence) and ophthalmoplegia, diminished or absent corneal reflex, ptosis, and dilation of the pupil occur. The terminal stages bring signs of advanced toxemia and meningitis. Infections of the face can cause a septic thrombosis of the cavernous sinus. Furunculosis and infected hair follicles in the nose are frequent causes. Extractions of maxillary anterior teeth in the presence of acute infection and especially curettage of the sockets under such circumstances can cause this condition. The infection is usually staphylococcal. The inflection may spread directly through the pterygoid plexus of veins and the pterygomaxillary space and then ascend into the sinus or it may spread directly from the pterygopalatine space to the orbit. This is possible because of the absence of valves in the angular, facial, and ophthalmic veins. The treatment is empirical antibiotic therapy followed by specific anbibiotic therapy based on blood or pus culture. The inflection usually involves one side, however, it may easily spread to the opposite side through the circulus sinus. Unless it is treated early, the prognosis is poor even in this doses. Occasionally the antibiotics will not adequately resolve the septic thrombus, and death ensues. the use of anticoagulants to prevent venous thrombosis has been recommended, but the efficacy of such therapy has not been substantiated. Surgical access through eye enucleation has been suggested. We report a case which demonstrates cavernous sinus thrombosis by the infection after the functional neck dissection and the intraoral reconstruction with auriculomastoid fascio-cutaneous island flap.

• Kosin Medical Journal
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.454-462
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• 2018

A 54-year-old man, suffering from severe headache and ophthalmoplegia after undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery was referred to a tertiary hospital. Computed tomography (CT) revealed soft tissue density lesions in the left sphenoid sinus. The internal carotid artery was shown to be occluded in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans without any other cerebral lesion. Endoscopic view of left nasal cavity shows whitish hyphae in the ethmoid and the sphenoid sinuses. We diagnosed him with cavernous sinus syndrome caused by mucormycosis and conducted endoscopic sinus surgery to remove remaining lesions and decompress orbit and optic nerves. After the revision surgery the patient's headache and ophthalmoplegia were improved. However, multifocal cerebral infarctions were newly discovered in a postoperative CT scan. We experienced a case of mucormycosis of sphenoid sinus resulting in occlusion of internal carotid artery and multifocal cerebral infarction, and report it with a brief review of these disease entities.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.89-93
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• 2017

Infratentorial cerebral hemorrhage due to a direct carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) is very rare. To our knowledge, only four such cases have been reported. Cerebellar hemorrhage due to a direct CCF has not been reported. We describe a 63-year-old female who presented with reduced consciousness 3 days after undergoing a maxillectomy for maxillary cancer. Computed tomography showed a cerebellar hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance angiography showed a left-sided direct CCF draining into the left petrosal and cerebellar veins through the left superior petrosal sinus (SPS). Her previous surgery had sacrificed the pterygoid plexus and facial vein. Increased blood flow and reduced drainage could have led to increased venous pressure in infratentorial veins, including the petrosal and cerebellar veins. The cavernous sinus has several drainage routes, but the SPS is one of the most important routes for infratentorial venous drainage. Stenosis or absence of the posterior segment of the SPS can also result in increased pressure in the cerebellar and pontine veins. We emphasize that a direct CCF with cortical venous reflux should be precisely evaluated to determine the hemodynamic status and venous drainage from the cavernous sinus.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.100-104
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• 1993

Carotid-cavernous sinus fistula(CCSF) is an abnormal arterio-venous communication between the cavernous sinus and the internal carotid artery. It is usually caused by craniofacial trauma and a very rarely encountered complication, but it may also occur spontaneously. The most common cause of traumatic CCSF is blunt trauma, which usually associated with a skull base, frontal or midfacial fracture. The common clinical feature of CCSF are orbital bruit, headache, exophthalmos, chemosis, diplopia, visual disturbance and others. This dramatic ocular-orbital symptoms are principally due to orbital venous hypertension. The symptoms occured within a few hours to a maximum of a year after injury, usually within several weeks. The patient, 33-year-old female, developed a carotid-cavernous sinus fistula after only minimal closed trauma We present a rare case of CCSF associated facial bone fracture that was successfully treated by detachable balloon embolization with a review of the literature.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.268-273
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• 2017

Purpose: We performed this retrospective study to investigate the outcomes of patients with hemangioma of the cavernous sinus after fractionated radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 10 patients with hemangioma of the cavernous sinus who were treated with conventional radiotherapy between January 2000 and December 2016. The median patient age was 54 years (range, 31-65 years), and 8 patients (80.0%) were female. The mean hemangioma volume was $34.1cm^3$ (range, $6.8-83.2cm^3$), and fractionated radiation was administered to a total dose of 50-54 Gy with a daily dose of 2 Gy. Results: The median follow-up period was 6.8 years (range, 2.2-8.8 years). At last follow-up, the volume of the tumor had decreased in all patients. The average tumor volume reduction rate from the initial volume was 72.9% (range, 18.9-95.3%). All 10 of the cranial neuropathies observed before radiation therapy had improved, with complete symptomatic remission in 9 cases (90%) and partial remission in 1 case (10%). No new acute neurologic impairments were reported after radiotherapy. One probable compressive optic neuropathy was observed at 1 year after radiotherapy. Conclusion: Fractionated radiotherapy achieves both symptomatic and radiologic improvements. It is a well-tolerated treatment modality for hemangiomas of the cavernous sinus.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.360-362
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• 2010

A sphenoid mucocele often presents late due to its deep seated anatomical site. And it has varied presentation due to its loose relationship to the cavernous sinus and the base of the skull. We describe a case of large sphenoid sinus mucocele. A middle aged old man suddenly developed third cranial nerve palsy. Brain imaging study revealed an isolated sphenoid sinus mucocele, compressing right cavernous sinus. Endoscopic marsupialization of the mucocele via transnasal approach led to complete resolution of the third cranial nerve palsy. Involvement of the third cranial nerve in isolated mucocele is rare but important neurosurgical implications which must be excluded. In addition, proper and timely treatment must be performed to avoid permanent neurologic deficit.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.688-696
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• 2022

Objective : Transvenous embolization (TVE) via an occluded inferior petrosal sinus (IPS) in a cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (CSDAVF) is challenging, often requiring navigation of a microcatheter through resistive obstacles between the occluded IPS and shunted pouch (SP), although the reopening technique was successfully performed. We report five cases of successful access to the cavernous sinus (CS) or SP using the rigid-tipped microguidewire such as chronic total occlusion (CTO) wire aiming to share our initial experience with this wire. Methods : In this retrospective study, four patients with CSDAVF underwent five procedures using the CTO wire puncture during transfemoral transvenous coil embolization. Puncture success, shunt occlusion, and complications including any hemorrhage and cranial nerve palsy were evaluated. Results : Despite successful access through the occluded IPS, further entry into the target area using neurointerventional devices was impossible due to a short-segment stricture before the CS (three cases) and a membranous barrier within the CS (two cases). However, puncturing these structures using the rigid-tipped microguidewire was successful in all cases. We could advance the microcatheter over the rigid-tipped microguidewire for the navigation to the SP and achieved complete occlusion of the SP without complications. Conclusion : The use of the rigid-tipped microguidewire in the TVE via the occluded IPS of the CSDAVF would be feasible and safe.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.180-182
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• 2013

We describe a case of intracranial carotid artery occlusion due to penetrating craniofacial injury by high velocity foreign body that was relieved by decompressive surgery. A 46-year-old man presented with a penetrating wound to his face. A piece of an electric angular grinder disc became lodged in the anterior skull base. Computed tomography revealed that the disc had penetrated the unilateral paraclinoid and suprasellar areas without flow of the intracranial carotid artery on the lesion side. The cavernous sinus was also compromised. Removal of the anterior clinoid process reopened the carotid blood flow, and the injection of glue into the cavernous sinus restored complete hemostasis during extraction of the fragment from the face. Digital subtraction angiography revealed complete recanalization of the carotid artery without any evidence of dissection. Accurate diagnosis regarding the extent of the compromised structures and urgent decompressive surgery with adequate hemostasis minimized the severity of penetrating damage in our patient.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.226-230
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• 1989

As carotid-cavernous fistula is the major complication that can be occurred uncommonly after maxillofacial injuries, it is abnormal arteriovenous communication between cavernous sinus and internal carotid artery. Such an arteriovenous communication is most often the result of injuries, but need not be associated with bony fracture. It usually begins soon after an injury, but it may be delayed for as long as several months. It begins undramatically with eye pain, headache and slow protrusion of eye ball. A bruit may be heard above the eye with stethoscope. Close examination will reveal dilatation of superficial veins of the eyelid and forehead and periorbital edema. There will be complete or partial ophthalmoplesia of the affected eye. Compression of the common carotid artery on the ipsilateral side will reduce or obliterate the bruit. The lesion in the cavernous sinus is them demonstrable by angiography.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.41-46
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• 2016

Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) is an extremely rare, highly aggressive malignancy of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Patients with SNUC usually being asymptomatic until the tumor has extensively progressed therefore frequently present with invasion of the orbit or cranial vault. Most case series of SNUC report very poor prognosis despite aggressive multimodality therapy. We recently experienced a 78-year-old male patient diagnosed as SNUC occurred from the left sphenoid sinus with invasion to the cavernous sinus and orbital content, which was treated intranasal endoscopic debulking surgery combined with curative radiation therapy successfully, and report this case with a review of literature.