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Updated: Jul 23, 2026
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Double Direct Injection of Blood into the Cisterna Magna as a Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Published on: August 30, 2020
Suprasellar cavernous malformation presenting with extensive subarachnoid hemorrhage.
E J Escott1, D Rubinstein, A G Cajade-Law
1Section of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Ave, Campus Box A034, Denver, CO 80262, USA. edescott@yahoo.com
Neuroradiology
|May 8, 2001
Summary
Extra-axial cavernous malformations are rare, and even rarer when causing subarachnoid hemorrhage. This case highlights a chiasmatic cistern cavernous malformation presenting with massive subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Vascular Neurology
Background:
- Cavernous malformations (CMs) are typically intraparenchymal brain lesions.
- Extra-axial CMs are uncommon, and their association with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is exceptionally rare.
Observation:
- This report details a unique case of a patient presenting with a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage.
- The source of the hemorrhage was identified as a cavernous malformation located in an unusual extra-axial site: the chiasmatic cistern.
Findings:
- The cavernous malformation in the chiasmatic cistern was the cause of the massive subarachnoid hemorrhage.
- This presentation is unusual due to both the extra-axial location and the severity of the hemorrhage.
Implications:
- This case expands the understanding of cavernous malformation presentations, particularly concerning their potential to cause significant subarachnoid hemorrhage from extra-axial locations.
- Highlights the importance of considering cavernous malformations in the differential diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage, even in atypical locations like the chiasmatic cistern.
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