While the ocular signs of thrombosis of the cavernous and lateral sinuses are well known, there is not complete agreement regarding the mechanism producing them. The ocular changes of thrombosis of the superior longitudinal sinus are less thoroughly understood. Some of the conditions hitherto diagnosed as serous meningitis, pseudotumor of the brain or chronic arachnoiditis may be due to thrombosis of the venous sinuses in the presence of an abnormal venous sinus pattern. In this paper the ocular signs of thrombosis of these dural sinuses are described, and an effort is made to correlate some of these with the anatomicopathologic findings in septic thrombophlebitis of the cavernous and lateral sinuses.
In approaching the subject I shall first review the relevant pathologic and anatomic features.
PATHOLOGIC PICTURE
Thrombi may be aseptic (primary, marantic or autochthonous) or septic.
The aseptic form of thrombosis occurs usually in the superior longitudinal sinus, less frequently