Staphyloccoal or Streptococcal infections of the face, for example nasal or upper lip pustules may thus spread directly into the cavernous sinus, causing stroke-like symptoms of double vision, squint, as well as spread of infection to cause meningitis. "Guidelines Cavernous sinus thrombosis" (PDF).</ref>

Arterial thrombosis
Arterial thrombosis is the formation of a thrombus within an artery. In most cases, arterial thrombosis follows rupture of atheroma (a fat-rich deposit in the blood vessel wall), and is therefore referred to as atherothrombosis. Arterial embolism occurs when clots then migrate downstream and can affect any organ.Alternatively, arterial occlusion occurs as a consequence of embolism of blood clots originating from the heart ("cardiogenic" emboli). The most common cause is atrial fibrillation, which causes a blood stasis within the atria with easy thrombus formation, but blood clots can develop inside the heart for other reasons too as infective endocarditis. Stroke
A stroke is the rapid decline of brain function due to a disturbance in the supply of blood to the brain. This can be due to ischemia, thrombus, embolus (a lodged particle) or hemorrhage (a bleed). In thrombotic stroke, a thrombus (blood clot) usually forms around atherosclerotic plaques. Since blockage of the artery is gradual, the onset of symptomatic thrombotic strokes is slower. Thrombotic stroke can be divided into two categories — large vessel disease or small vessel disease. The former affects vessels such as the internal carotids, vertebral and the circle of Willis. The latter can affect smaller vessels, such as the branches of the circle of Willis.
Char syndrome is an autosomal dominant congenital disease caused by mutations in TFAP2B gene which affects the development of the bones of the face as well as the heart and limbs. During embryo development, TFAP2B regulates the production of the protein AP-2β, a transcription factor that is active in the neural crest and helps regulate genes that control cell division and apoptosis. There are at least 10 mutations of this gene that have been identified in people presenting Char syndrome, which alters specific regions of the gene preventing production of the transcription factor and disrupting normal development of embryo structures. People with this condition present a very distinct facial appearance with flattened cheek bones, flat and broad tip nose, shortened distance between the nose and upper lip, triangular-shaped mouth with tick lips and strabismus. It is also characterized by a patent ductus arteriosus, which is the failure to close the ductus that connects the aorta and pulmonary artery during pre-birth life and may cause many symptoms including breathing issues and heart failure. Abnormalities of hand and finger development have also been reported in people with this condition, including short or absent fifth finger. Other abnormal findings include supernumerary nipples. These conditions often affect multiple members of a family and there are no reports of non-genetic factors that might be related with incidence of this syndrome. It was first described by Florence Char in 1978. == References ==