Congenital and acquired abnormalities of the dural venous sinuses.

The imaging features of a variety of dural venous sinus (DVS) abnormalities are reviewed. Congenital and heritable diseases affecting the DVS, tumor-related sinus compression, and traumatic injuries of the DVS are discussed. The causes, clinical manifestations, and imaging findings in cerebral sinovenous thrombosis are described, and pertinent imaging techniques and pitfalls are illustrated. Etiologic theories about the formation of dural arteriovenous malformations are discussed and their imaging features are demonstrated.