Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis

 What is cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST)?

The development of a blood clot in brain's cerebral venous, dural sinuses and cortical veins resulting in  blockage of the blood drainage out of brain is termed as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). It is also known as cerebral sinovenous thrombosis. This condition can cause blood cells to break or leak resulting in a brain hemorrhage. It is a rare and challenging neurological disorder, because of it's adverse symptoms. It occurs in the initial years of life in almost 50% of the childhood cases. CVST is an uncommon stroke, which can affect can the babies during pregnancy, newborns and adults. However, it is uncommon and affects only 5 in a million individuals.

Symptoms Of CVST

• Headache/migraines
• Vision problems (blur vision )
• Unconsciousness, seizures or coma
• Loss of control over movements
• Speech disorders (impaired speech)
• Fluid pressure in skull and pressure on nerves

 Causes And Risk Factors

• Systemic diseases (diseases which affect tissues and organs, mostly due to sepsis (a condition which the body has severe response to bacteria)
• Neoplasm (a new or abnormal tissue growth)
• Pregnancy
• Puerperium (six weeks period after child birth)
• Dehydration
• Head injury
• Iron deficiency
• Sickle cell anemia
• Intracranial tumors (Brain tumors)
• Oral contraceptives (Birth control pills)
• Coagulopathies (Bleeding or clotting disorder)
• Arteriovenous malformations
•  Thyroid infection (fibrous thyroiditis)
• IBD (Inflammatory bowel disease ) and other infections
• Auto immune diseases

Diagnosis

CVST is hard to diagnose, but with new imaging techniques the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition has become possible. Before the screening tests the doctor examines the medical history and has a physical analysis of the patient. MR imaging (megnatic resonance imaging), unenhanced CT (computer tomography),  MR  and CT venography, angiography and blood tests are some specific tests for screening CVST.

Treatment

A patient of CVST requires immediate treatment and the  treatment may involve the following;

• Heparin (A compound that inhibits blood coagulation)
• Endovascular thrombolysis (Invasive therapy to break blood clots)
• Decompressive hemicraniectomy (Invasive surgical procedure in severe cases of CVST to relieve intracranial pressure)
• Antibiotics in case of infections and medications to stop blood from clotting

Treatment of underlying conditions of CVST and lifestyle changes (low fats diet, exercise and avoiding smoking) can prevent the development of this disorder.  Healthy diet and regular exercise also helps in recovering after this stroke. Moreover, rehabilitation and physical therapy may be required during the recovery process.