Prevalence of persistent falcine sinus as an incidental finding in the pediatric population.

Abstract

Persistence of the embryologic falcine sinus can be a congenital or acquired phenomenon related to a defect of the straight sinus. Previous studies have stated that it is rare for the falcine sinus to persist without an additional abnormality of the brain such as a vein of Galen malformation or venous sinus thrombosis. The purpose of this article is to show that persistent falcine sinus is not an uncommon isolated finding in the pediatric population. We performed a retrospective review of pediatric brain MRIs to identify patients with a persistent falcine sinus and subsequently recorded whether there were findings in addition to the straight sinus defect. Thirty-one patients were identified as having a persistent falcine sinus, five of whom had no other congenital or acquired abnormality of the brain other than a defect in the straight sinus. Our data support the hypothesis that persistent falcine sinus is not an uncommon isolated finding in the pediatric population.