Computed orbital phlebography of the cavernous sinuses.

Computed orbital phlebography (COP), described as computed tomography with concomitant injection of contrast medium into a frontal vein, was used to evaluate the cavernous sinuses in 19 patients with intrasellar or parasellar lesions and in two normal controls. Bilateral opacification occurred in 12 subjects, eight of whom had pituitary tumors. Unilateral partial obliteration was encountered in four subjects, all of whom had pituitary tumors with marked parasellar extension. In three subjects with parasellar tumors, ipsilateral total obliteration of the cavernous sinus was seen. In one subject with no sign of parasellar tumor, there was no opacification of the cavernous sinuses, a failure attributed to technical factors. In one other subject, the frontal vein puncture was unsuccessful and COP could not be performed.