What is a cavernous sinus?
cave sinus is a centrally located cavity located on the base of the brain next to the temporal bone and sphenoid bone. His Latin name is sinus cavernosus . This cavity contains an internal carotid artery and several important nerves, including oculomotor nerve, trochlear nerve, ophthalmic nerve, maxillary nerve and Abductions nerve. The inner carotid artery and nerves leave horizontally through cavernous sinus, while the remaining nerves run vertically. There are two cave cavities, one for each hemisphere of the brain. The pituitary gland sits between two cave cavities.
The anatomy of the cavernous sinus is unique because it is the only place in the human body where the artery moves completely through the venous structure. In this case, the internal carotid artery moves through the blood from the brain and the face back to the heart to be oxygenated.
Health problems associated with this specific sinus include cavernous sinus thrombosis, a blood clot in sinus. Thrombosis usually occure after the face injury to the clot in the facial vein. Sometimes pieces of clots can enter the sin and cause infection. Infections in the eyes, ears, nose, neck or cavities can also spread to sin and cause thrombosis. Conventional symptoms of cavernous sinus thrombosis are convex eyeballs, falling lids, inability to move the eye in a particular direction or loss of vision. This type of thrombosis is rarely fatal and can be treated with antibiotics. However, the disease may become more serious if it is not treated and spread to duralumin venous cavities.
Other serious health problems related to cavernous sinus may include the growth of tumors in sinus or pituitary tumors. Both situations can cause nerve compression in the sinus and lead to szíská damage, especially visual loss. Most of the tumors found in this area are treatable, albeit to a varying degree depending on a particular tumor type. Aneurysms and fistulas can also cause damage to cavernous sinus and as tumors and thrombosis leade to the cavernous sino syndrome. Cavernous sinus syndrome is a wide category of pathology, which is often difficult to diagnose or define, but may include eye nerve damage and/or pupil, bloodshed conjunctiva, redness in the face parts, changes in face sweating and other symptoms associated with Horner syndrome.