Presence of a blood clot in the dural venous sinus, which collects blood from the veins in the brain and returns it to the heart.
The main risk factors are those that promote hypercoagulation, such as taking particular medications, pregnancy and puerperium, neoplasms, infection and dehydration.
The most common symptom is headache, which may accompanied by focal neurological deficit, seizures, alteration of the mental state or coma.
Diagnosis is reached through a detailed clinical history of the patient, a complete physical examination, and blood and imaging tests.
Treatment is based off of anticoagulants and analgesics to relief pain. Sometimes, a thrombolysis and/or emergency surgery is needed if the disease does not respond to medical treatment.
- José M Ferro, Patrícia Canhão. Etiology, clinical features, and diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis. UpToDate. Nov 04, 2015.
- Saposnik G, Barinagarrementeria F, Brown RD Jr, et al. Diagnosis and management of cerebral venous thrombosis: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke 2011; 42:1158.
- Unpublished data, International study on cerebral vein and dural sinus thrombosis (ISCVT) and Cerebral venous thrombosis Portuguese collaborative study group (VENOPORT) registries.
- Coutinho JM, Zuurbier SM, Aramideh M, Stam J. The incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis: a cross-sectional study. Stroke 2012; 43:3375.
- Coutinho JM, Ferro JM, Canhão P, et al. Cerebral venous and sinus thrombosis in women. Stroke 2009; 40:2356.
- Ferro JM, Canhão P, Bousser MG, et al. Cerebral vein and dural sinus thrombosis in elderly patients. Stroke 2005; 36:1927.
