Unilateral Thalamic Infarct: A Rare Presentation of Deep Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

Deep cerebral venous thrombosis (DCVT) remains a very rare entity among the spectrum of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Due to the bilateral draining territories, DCVT nearly invariably causes bilateral infarction with predictably dismal prognosis. However, rare instances of DCVT with unilateral infarction having favorable prognosis have been described, but pose a wide range of differentials to the clinician and require careful interpretation of clinical and radiological features for accurate diagnosis. Here, we report two unusual cases of DCVT with unilateral thalamic infarction with excellent outcome. We also report a rare case of CVT, with simultaneous deep and cortical vein thrombosis. Through a relevant review of the literature, we also examine the clinical presentations of unilateral infarction due to DCVT and their outcomes.