Tau sign
Last revised by Mostafa El-Feky ◉ on 28 Jul 2023
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Jha P, El-Feky M, Yap J, et al. Tau sign. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 22 Sep 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-17589
Permalink:
rID:
17589
Article created:
27 Apr 2012, Praveen Jha
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Praveen Jha had no recorded disclosures.
View Praveen Jha's current disclosuresLast revised:
28 Jul 2023, Mostafa El-Feky ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Mostafa El-Feky had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Mostafa El-Feky's current disclosuresRevisions:
18 times, by 9 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Tau sign (persistent primitive trigeminal artery)
The tau sign represents the appearance of a persistent primitive trigeminal artery on the sagittal plane of an angiogram or on sagittal MRI images. It resembles the Greek letter τ, pronounced "tau", and is equivalent to the modern-day "T" in the Latin alphabet.
The persistent trigeminal artery arises from the junction between the petrous and cavernous ICA and runs posterolaterally along the trigeminal nerve through, or adjacent to, the cavernous sinus.
The vertical and anterior horizontal limbs of "Tau" are formed by the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the posterior horizontal limb is formed by the proximal portion of the persistent trigeminal artery.
References
- 1. Chavhan GB, Shroff MM. Twenty classic signs in neuroradiology: A pictorial essay. Indian J Radiol Imaging. 19 (2): 135-45. doi:10.4103/0971-3026.50835 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 2. Goyal M. The tau sign. (2001) Radiology. 220 (3): 618-9. doi:10.1148/radiol.2202991498 - Pubmed
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