Evaluation and management of a patient with possible cerebral venous thrombosis

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a relatively rare form of stroke usually affecting young individuals. CVT is characterized by the diversity of its neurologic manifestations, which require a high level of clinical suspicion for diagnosis and prompt, appropriate treatment. Multiple circumstances have been associated with CVT, such as prior medical conditions, transient situations, certain medications, and some predisposing conditions. Headache, focal neurologic deficit, and seizures are the most frequent clinical manifestations at onset. MRI in combination with venography has become the imaging modality of choice, as this technique has a high sensitivity and specificity for establishing a diagnosis. CT venography is an alternative to MRI because this technique produces similar diagnostic results. Pharmacologic treatment of CVT with anticoagulants is widely accepted. Per 100 cases, the recurrence of CVT is 2.8% and the mortality of CVT is 10%.