[Intracrânial venous sinus thrombosis (22 cases) (author's transl)]

The authors report 22 cases of intracranial venous sinus thrombosis and study what is new about that old pathology. Sagittal superior sinus is still the most touched one, followed by the lateral sinuses. Half of the cases are traumatic: their clinical picture consists either of benign intracranial hypertension, either of intracranial hypertension and neurological signs. Puerperal thrombosis of the sinuses have quite disappeared and have been replaced by thrombosis in women taking oestro-progestional agents, whose clinical picture is absolutely the same. Infectious thrombophlebitis are quite less frequent than intracranial abcesses, whose diagnosis must be made first. About diagnosis, the certitude is still given by bilateral carotid arteriography which demonstrates the thrombosed sinus, whereas cerebral scintigraphy shows whether their is an adjacent infarction of venous origin or not. Treatment is a medical one. It consists rather of methods to reduce cerebral volum, aiming at maximal use of collateral varices. Heparin should be used only if there is no cerebral infarction of venous origin. Total mortality is 27% and among survivals there are few sequels. Prognosis depends on the thrombosed sinus, on the rapidity for clinical signs to appear and especially on the anastomotic venous collateral ability demonstrated by carotid angiography.