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The presence of portal venous gas (PVG) has been reported most often in association with bowel ischemia or infarction but may result from nonischemic conditions such as bowel trauma or surgery, inflammatory or tumoral ulcerative disease, or infectious or inflammatory bowel disease. 1 - 1 2 In a setting of mesenteric infarction, the presence of PVG has been reported to be an ominous finding; however, when PVG is related to nonischemic conditions, clinical outcome seems to be determined by the underlying disease and not by the presence of PVG. 6 Therefore, diagnosis of PVG is of clinical importance because quick medical or surgical treatment of the underlying condition may be warranted. Both computed tomography (CT) and gray scale or Doppler sonography contribute to the detection of PVG, with CT being more sensitive in identifying the underlying cause of PVG. 5 Recent reports suggest that sonography may be more sensitive in detecting PVG than CT. 1 3 - 1 5 We report a case of PVG detected on gray scale sonography that went undetected on CT. The cause of PVG in this case was acute appendicitis, which to our knowledge has never been reported in the literature.

Solitary fibrous tumours (SFTs) are rare WHO grade I mesenchymal neoplasms that were first described in the visceral pleura. A wide variety of locations of SFT have been reported but only twelve cases of intramedullary solitary fibrous tumour. We report a case of thoracic spinal cord SFT. A 49-year-old woman presented with clinical signs of dorsal myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural mass at level T9–T10 which showed imaging features consistent both for an intra- and an extramedullary location of a solid tumour. Imaging findings were confirmed during surgery which was successful in resecting the extramedullary component. The intramedullary component could only be partially resected. Solitary fibrous tumour is a rare pathological entity in the central nervous system. The course of intramedullary SFT is unknown and careful long-term follow-up is recommended.

To report a retrospective series of 84 cerebral developmental venous anomalies (DVAs), focusing on associated parenchymal abnormalities within the drainage territory of the DVA. DVAs were identified during routine diagnostic radiological work-up based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (60 cases), computed tomography (CT) (62 cases) or both (36 cases). Regional parenchymal modifications within the drainage territory of the DVA, such as cortical or subcortical atrophy, white matter density or signal alterations, dystrophic calcifications, presence of haemorrhage or a cavernous-like vascular malformation (CVM), were noted. A stenosis of the collecting vein of the DVA was also sought for. Brain abnormalities within the drainage territory of a DVA were encountered in 65.4% of the cases. Locoregional brain atrophy occurred in 29.7% of the cases, followed by white matter lesions in 28.3% of MRI investigations and 19.3% of CT investigations, CVMs in 13.3% of MRI investigations and dystrophic calcification in 9.6% of CT investigations. An intracranial haemorrhage possibly related to a DVA occurred in 2.4% cases, and a stenosis on the collecting vein was documented in 13.1% of cases. Parenchymal abnormalities were identified for all DVA sizes. Brain parenchymal abnormalities were associated with DVAs in close to two thirds of the cases evaluated. These abnormalities are thought to occur secondarily, likely during post-natal life, as a result of chronic venous hypertension. Outflow obstruction, progressive thickening of the walls of the DVA and their morphological organization into a venous convergence zone are thought to contribute to the development of venous hypertension in DVA.

This article provides a comprehensive description of the morphology of the human petrosquamosal sinus (PSS) derived from original observations made on 13 corrosion casts of the cranial venous system combined with routine clinical imaging studies in two patients. The PSS is not a rare finding in the adult human. In particular, continuous developments in imaging techniques have made radiologists become increasingly aware of this anatomical entity in recent years. The role of the PSS as a major encephalic drainage pathway and its potential implication in pathological conditions such as intracranial venous hypertension are discussed.