User:Mr. Ibrahem/Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is the presence of a blood clot in the dural venous sinuses, which drain blood from the brain. Symptoms may include headache, abnormal vision, symptoms of a stroke such as weakness of the face and limbs on one side of the body, and seizures. Complications may include a subarachnoid bleed.

Risk factors are present about 85% of people and include hereditary thrombophilia, birth control, pregnancy, head and neck infections, vasculitis, cancer, dehydration, and obesity. Diagnosis is usually by computed tomography (CT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The transverse sinus and superior sagittal sinus are most commonly involved in 86% and 62% of cases respectively. It is divided into three types based on the time from symptom onset: acute (less than 48 hours), subacute (48 hours to one month), and chronic (greater than one month). Testing may be done to try to determine the underlying cause.

Treatment is typically with anticoagulants (medication that suppresses blood clotting), specifically low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or unfractionated heparin. LMWH is generally preferred. Treatment is generally for 3 to 12 months following a first event. Rarely, thrombolysis (enzymatic destruction of the blood clot) is used. The disease may be complicated by raised intracranial pressure, which may be treated with acetazolamide, lumbar puncture, or surgical placement of a shunt. The disease may recur in up to 3% of cases.

Cerebral venous thrombosis is relatively rare. Between 3 and 40 people per million are affected. Rates in women are about 3 fold those in men. Of people who develop a stroke, CVST is the underlying cause in about 1%. Death occurs in about 9.4% of those affected. The condition was first described by the French physician Ribes in 1825.