Cerebral developmental venous anomalies associated with head and neck venous malformations.

PURPOSE To study cerebral developmental venous anomalies in patients with extensive venous malformations of the head and neck.

METHODS All patients had undergone carotid angiography 10 to 15 years previously. Four-vessel cerebral angiography was carried out in 40 patients with venous malformations. All patients had a physical examination, 16 had CT, and 22 were examined with MR imaging. One patient had MR angiography.

RESULTS Eighteen developmental venous anomalies were noted in 8 (20%) of 40 patients. Four patients had multiple anomalies, and these were bilateral in 1 patient. Developmental venous anomalies seen in association with cervicofacial, cutaneous, and mucosal venous malformations were remarkable in their absence of neurologic events and associated cavernoma; significance of ectatic venous convergence, extension, and preponderance of deep drainage routes; and frequency with which they multiple in occurrence.

CONCLUSION Developmental venous anomalies have a remarkable prevalence of 20% in patients with extensive superficial venous malformations. Therefore, it is important to search for a cerebral developmental venous anomaly when confronted with a cervicofacial venous malformation.