Background: The study aimed to evaluate the enhanced three-dimensional brain volume magnetic resonance imaging (3D-BRAVO) in the diagnosis of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS). Methods: we described 21 patients with THS and their case records including clinical syndromes and neuroradiologic features by conventional MRI and enhanced 3D-BRAVO. Results: 19 patients showed enhancement in the cavernous sinus through 3D-BRAVO. 16/19 had ipsilateral enhanced lesions involved 4-10 continuous slices in cavernous sinus on 3D-BRAVO scan. Both local size enlargements and enhancement in the cavernous sinus were found in 3 patients. The rest 2 patients performed negative results on neither conventional MRI nor enhanced 3D-BRAVO. Conclusions: enhanced 3D-BRAVO imaging demonstrated a high detection rate in the cavernous sinus, which may promote our understanding of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome.