Sinovenous thrombosis associated with skull fracture in the setting of blunt head trauma

Emerging literature suggests that closed head injuries may be an important etiology of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Fractures over the dural sinuses, in particular, may predispose such patients to this secondary complication. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and characteristics of CVST resulting from skull fractures overlying cerebral venous sinuses at a single tertiary care center.

A retrospective review of consecutive patients presenting to our institution with skull fractures from blunt head trauma between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2011 who underwent either a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) venogram. Patient demographics, associated intracranial injuries, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), presence of CVST, and post-hospital disposition were recorded.

Overall, 908 patients with skull fractures presented to the institution. Of those, 63 had fractures over a sinus and a venogram satisfying inclusion criteria. Twenty-two (34.9 %) patients demonstrated a thrombus in at least one sinus. There was no statistical difference in patient demographics, presenting GCS, length of stay (LOS), or outcome between patients with or without a thrombus. Pediatric patients had significantly shorter LOS (11 vs. 4 days, p < 0.01) compared to adults. Adults had a greater incidence of total sinus occlusions while children had more non-occlusive thrombus formations; both were statistically significant (p = 0.035 and p = 0.037, respectively).

This report suggests that over 10 % of skull fractures involve cerebral venous sinuses, thus emphasizing the need to rule out CVST in patients suffering blunt head trauma. We propose including a venogram as part of the initial trauma work-up for these patients. Moreover, our data suggest that pediatric patients may be predisposed to less severe injuries than their adult counterparts.