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Cerebral Sinus Thrombosis
Author(s) -
Agrawal Kunal,
Burger Kathy,
Rothrock John F.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/head.12873
Subject(s) - medicine , epidemiology , thrombosis , stroke (engine) , incidence (geometry) , presentation (obstetrics) , intracranial thrombosis , venous thrombosis , cerebral veins , intensive care medicine , surgery , pediatrics , mechanical engineering , physics , optics , engineering
Background Although cerebral venous thrombosis/cerebral sinus thrombosis (CVT/CST) remains a relatively uncommon cause of stroke and other neurologic complications, the widespread availability of noninvasive brain imaging has led to an increase in its diagnosis. Purpose Through a review and description of its epidemiology, clinical features and treatment, to heighten awareness of CVT/CST. Methodology Via a systematic review of the more recently published medical literature relevant to the topic and focusing in particular on primary sources, we compiled data related to the incidence of CVT/CST and its diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Results Thrombosis of a cerebral vein or sinus may occur in individuals of any age and may be caused by a myriad of prothrombotic conditions, both primary and acquired. The clinical presentation of CVT/CST is widely variable, but headache is present in the great majority of cases, and the predominant symptom in many. The headache associated with CVT/CST may be acute, severe, and even “thunderclap” in character, or it may be chronic, pervasive, and of lower intensity. Conclusions Given its eclectic epidemiology, its potential to produce a highly unfavorable clinical outcome, and evidence suggesting that specific treatment improves outcome, CVT/CST is a disorder whose salient features should be familiar to virtually all clinicians.