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Cavernous Sinus Syndrome

The cavernous sinus area is located within the head and contains an artery, the pituitary gland, two sinuses and five nerves. And they are all housed within a tiny but complex structure. The cavernous sinus syndrome occurs when a disease appears that affects one or more cavernous sinus components.

  1. Cavernous Sinus

    • The cavernous sinus is made up of the pituitary gland, the carotid artery, two sinuses (sphenoid and cavernous), and five nerves: abducens, maxillary, oculomotor, ophthalmic, and trochlear. This structure and all it contains is located within a small area of space in the cranial (head) portion of the body and can be adversely affected by: infectious diseases, non-infectious inflammation (non-contagious), vascular lesions (abnormality of the blood vessels) and neoplasm (abnormal tissue growth).

    Cavernous Sinus Syndrome

    • When more than one of the components of the cavernous sinus is adversely affected by disease, inflammation, lesions are neoplasm, it is known as cavernous sinus syndrome. Pain can be experienced in differing degrees with this condition, ocular motor nerves can be impaired, and sensory loss can be experienced in the trigeminal nerve, according to the American Journal of Roentgenology.

    Infectious Disease

    • One infectious disease that can occur in the cavernous sinuses is cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis. It is caused by bacteria or fungus and has the ability to become lethal. Another infectious disease is actinomycosis, which often starts in the sinuses or ears. Rhinocerebral mucormycosis (caused by a fungus) and aspergillosis (a fungus which often invades the vessels) are other infectious diseases that can cause cavernous sinus syndrome.

    Non-Infectious Inflammation

    • Toloso-Hunt Syndrome is a painful condition---and non-infectious inflammation---that can develop in the cavernous sinuses, leading to cavernous sinus syndrome. It is due to lesions that develop in this cranial area. Inflammatory pseudotumor, another non-infectious inflammation which occurs in the cavernous sinuses, develops when soft-tissue lesions infiltrate the skull and can result in bone destruction.

    Vascular Lesions

    • When an aneurysm is diagnosed as a tumor instead of an aneurysm the individual who has it can die as a result. Thus, it is important to confirm that a suspected aneurysm of the carotid artery (a vascular lesion) is indeed that. This type of vascular lesion is one of the causes of cavernous sinus syndrome too. If such an aneurysm ruptures, it creates a condition known as carotid cavernous fistula.

    Neoplasm

    • Neoplasm (another name for abnormal tissue growth) is basically a tumor. It can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). The most common tumors that appear in cavernous sinus syndrome actually migrate from other parts of the skull, according to the American Journal of Roentgenology.

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