Developmental venous anomaly (DVA)

Case contributed by Hendrik Reyneke Van den Berg
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Routine head CT due to first ever seizure.

Patient Data

Age: 40 years
Gender: Male

Noncontrast brain CT is normal.

Postcontrast CT reveals a large left frontal medullary vein with a characteristic "Medusa head" appearance origin draining cortically.

Case Discussion

A developmental venous anomaly (DVA) is a congenital malformation of veins that drain the normal brain. It is characterized by the caput medusae sign of veins draining into a single larger collecting vein.

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.