[Intracranial venous thrombosis: reports on 11 paediatric cases]

Intracranial venous thrombosis (IVT) is a rare condition at the paediatric age, with a wide variety of clinical features and causations.

To describe the etiopathogenic factors, the presenting symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and progress of the cases of IVT diagnosed at the Hospital 12 de Octubre.

The descriptive retrospective study involved reviewing the records of patients who were admitted to hospital between 1989 and 2005, with ages ranging between 1 month and 16 years. Those who had been diagnosed as having IVT, confirmed by neuroimaging, were selected for the study. A review of their patient records was then carried out and associated etiopathogenic factors, clinical features and neuroimaging findings, treatment and progress were analysed.

Eleven patients fulfilled clinical and radiological eligibility criteria. Most of them presented precipitating factors of an infectious origin (45%). The most frequent presenting symptoms were headache and diminished level of consciousness (45% for each case). The superior longitudinal was the most commonly affected venous sinus (72% of cases). Thrombophilic alterations were found in 27% of the patients. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was the most cost-effective diagnostic test. No haemorrhagic complications were recorded in patients receiving anti-clotting therapy. In most cases progress was favourable.

Improved diagnostic methods allow IVT to be detected increasingly more often at the paediatric age. Anti-clotting therapy in the acute phase proved to be safe and effective in this series, although further studies are needed with patients at this age to confirm this finding.