Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis Follow-up

  • Author: Rahul Sharma, MD, MBA, FACEP; Chief Editor: Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP   more...
 
Updated: Oct 25, 2011
 

Further Inpatient Care

  • Admission to intensive care unit is indicated.
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Deterrence/Prevention

  • Patients should be educated that furuncles or abscesses (pimples) in the central portion of the face should not be manipulated without prior antibiotic coverage.
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Complications

  • Septic emboli
  • Blindness
  • Cranial nerve palsies
  • Sepsis and shock
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Prognosis

  • Mortality rate is as high as 30%; the majority of survivors suffer permanent sequelae.
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Rahul Sharma, MD, MBA, FACEP  Assistant Professor, Weill Medical College of Cornell University; Assistant Director for Operations, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center

Rahul Sharma, MD, MBA, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Edward Bessman, MD  Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center; Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Edward Bessman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

David FM Brown, MD  Associate Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Vice Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital

David FM Brown, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

J Stephen Huff, MD  Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Neurology, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine

J Stephen Huff, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American Academy of Neurology, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP  Professor of Emergency Medicine, Professor of Internal Medicine, Program Director, Emergency Medicine, Case Medical Center, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Barry E Brenner, MD, PhD, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Thoracic Society, Arkansas Medical Society, New York Academy of Medicine, New York Academy of Sciences, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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  2. Seow VK, Chong CF, Wang TL, Lin CM, Lin IY. Cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis masquerading as ischaemic stroke: a catastrophic pitfall in any emergency department. Emerg Med J. Jun 2007;24(6):440. [Medline].

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  4. Misra UK, Kalita J, Bansal V. D-dimer is useful in the diagnosis of cortical venous sinus thrombosis. Neurol India. Jan-Feb 2009;57(1):50-4. [Medline].

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  22. Zimmer J, Bhatt J, et al. Is it all in his head?. The Internet Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology. 2006;6.

 
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Anatomy of cross section of cavernous sinus showing close proximity to cranial nerves and sphenoid sinus.
 
 
 
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