Postpartum cerebral vein thrombosis

Vaidyanathan Gowri1, Mariam Mathew, Khadra A Galaal

  • 1Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 35, Code 123, Sultanate of Oman. Tel. +968 513355 Ext. 3419. Fax. +968 513009.

Pregnancy increases the risk of cerebrovascular accidents to approximately 13 times the expected rate. Most of the cerebrovascular accidents are due to cerebral venous thrombosis. Headache, seizures and focal neurological deficits are some of the symptoms of cerebral venous thrombosis. Headache can also be due to postural puncture, pre eclampsia and eclampsia in the postpartum period. Neuroimaging with MRI with contrast helps in the diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis and giving a definite diagnosis, which aids in the treatment and prognosis. The cases presented in this report highlight the importance of investigations such as MRI or CT in the diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis in pregnancy and puerperium.

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