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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Comprehensive Endovascular and Open Surgical Management of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations
Published on: October 20, 2017
Cerebral venous thrombosis: an update
Marie-Germaine Bousser1, José M Ferro
1AP-HP Hôpital Lariboisière-Service de Neurologie, Paris, France. mg.bousser@lrb.aphp.fr
Abstract:
Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare type of cerebrovascular disease that can occur at any age, including in neonates, and it accounts for 0.5% of all stroke. The widespread use of neuroimaging now allows for early diagnosis and has completely modified our knowledge on this disorder. CVT is more common than previously thought and it is recognised as a non-septic disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, numerous causes, and usually a favourable outcome with a low mortality rate. MRI with T1, T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and T2* sequences combined with magnetic resonance angiography are the best diagnostic methods. D-dimer concentrations are raised in most patients but normal D-dimers do not rule out CVT, particularly in patients who present with isolated headache. Heparin is the first-line treatment, but in a few cases more aggressive treatments, such as local intravenous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, and decompressive hemicraniectomy, may be required.
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