Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis

# Cavernous sinus thrombosis following infection of anterior maxillary teeth most often from spread of infection along:
a) Facial artery
b) Angular artery
c) Ophthalmic vein
d) Pterygoid plexus

The correct answer is C. Ophthalmic vein.

Cavernous thrombosis (CST) is the infectious thrombosis of the cavernous sinus, which is a dural venous space present in the middle cranial fossa on either side of the sella turcica.

• It is a paired sinus, anterior and posterior. Infections to cavernous sinus may spread by two

pathways.

• The anterior route composed of ophthalmic veins and their anastomosis with the facial vein;

the angular vein; the infraorbital vein; and the inferior palpebral vein; readily allows the invasion of the cavernous sinus. Spread of infection by this pathway presents the classic picture of a fulminating cavernous .sin us thrombosis and CST through this route is more common than posterior route.

• The pterygoid venous plexus, which constitutes the posterior route, provide a connection between cavernous sinus and the retromandibular vein.

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