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Updated: Aug 17, 2026
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Published on: June 2, 2015
A negative D-dimer assay does not rule out cerebral venous thrombosis: a series of seventy-three patients
Isabelle Crassard1, Claudine Soria, Christophe Tzourio
1Neurology Department, Lariboisière Hospital, 2 rue Ambroise Paré, 75010 Paris, France. isabelle.crassard@lrb.aphp.fr
Background And Purpose:
Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an infrequent variety of cerebrovascular disease with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and a notoriously difficult diagnosis. Previous reports have emphasized the potential clinical utility of D-dimer assay in CVT diagnosis.
Methods:
A rapid sensitive D-dimer assay was performed at entry in 73 patients with CVT <30 days duration, examined in our institution between 1999 and 2003.
Results:
The mean value of D-dimer levels was 1521 ng/mL; 7 patients (10% of all patients and 26% of those presenting with isolated headache) had values <500 ng/mL. In a multivariate analysis, isolated headache was the only variable associated with a negative D-dimer assay.
Conclusions:
A negative D-Dimer assay does not confidently rule out CVT, particularly in the setting of recent isolated headache.
