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Published on: October 20, 2017
Deep cerebral venous thrombosis presenting as an encephalitic illness
P A Silburn1, P A Sandstrom, C Staples
1Department of Neurosciences, Princess Alexandria Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Insights
Deep cerebral vein thrombosis can mimic encephalitis. Hormone therapy was a factor in these cases, with some patients recovering fully despite brain infarction.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Vascular Medicine
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Deep cerebral vein thrombosis (DCVT) is a rare but serious condition.
- DCVT can present with diverse neurological symptoms, sometimes mimicking inflammatory or infectious encephalitic illnesses.
- Risk factors for thrombosis, including hormonal therapies, warrant further investigation in specific patient populations.
Abstract:
Three cases of deep cerebral vein thrombosis presenting as encephalitic illnesses are described. Thyrotoxicosis was present in one case, ulcerative colitis in one case and an anticardiolipin antibody was detected in two cases. All three patients were on oestrogen and progesterone. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography allowed rapid confirmation of the diagnosis and permitted non-invasive follow up of this condition. The first two patients made complete clinical recoveries despite having thalamic infarction, in one case bilaterally, demonstrable radiologically.
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