ABSTRACT
Thrombotic occlusion of the cerebral venous sinuses is a disease entity with a high mortality rate. Within 5 years of the clinical introduction of computerized tomography (CT) scanners, Ferdinando Buonanno and his colleagues’ (Bowman Gray School of Medicine) reported the CT findings of cerebral sinovenous occlusion in 11 patients with this disorder. Their paper appeared in the new Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography that is now known as JCAT. The overall mortality rate for their patients was 64%. They stressed the importance of accurate early diagnosis and found the ‘delta’ or ‘empty triangle’ sign to be pathognomonic for sagittal sinus thrombosis (Figure 1). The normal blood-filled triangular sinus is empty because there is a thrombus within its center. The empty triangle sign had to be seen ‘on cuts at different levels to differentiate it from a high splitting of the SSS [superior sagittal sinus].’ This sign can now also be detected with magnetic resonance imaging. ‘The ‘empty triangle’ or A sign—indicative of superior sagittal sinus thrombosis.” Reprinted from Buonanno et <italic>ol’</italic> <bold>Computed</bold> cranial tomographic findings in cerebral sinovenous occlusion. <italic>J. Comput. Assist Tomograph.,</italic> 1978, 2, 281–90. with permission of the author and Raven Press Ltd https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003076568/34c29fd5-5662-4e8f-b58c-badd7fa5d724/content/fig27_1_B.jpg"/>
