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Heparin in the treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis

Saad Shafqat1, Ayeesha K Kamal, Mohammad Wasay

  • 1Department of Medicine (Neurology), Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi.

JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association
|December 23, 2006
PubMed

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a potentially life-threatening condition requiring rapid diagnosis and urgent treatment. Heparin anticoagulation is the time-honoured treatment, and is advocated in all cases of CVT, irrespective of etiology or presence of haemorrhage. The supportive evidence is largely observational; data from randomized placebo-controlled trials shows a nonsignificant trend favouring heparin. Current practice is to begin heparin (unfractionated or low-molecular weight) immediately on confirmation of the diagnosis. Newer antithrombotic agents such as ximelagatran may offer advantages over heparin and need to be investigated in the treatment of CVT.

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