Abstract 1122‐000044: Endovascular Thrombectomy for Straight Sinus Thrombosis

Abstract

Introduction : Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an under‐recognized disease that accounts for roughly 1% of all strokes 1 . It presents a diagnostic challenge due to its varied and ambiguous presentation, which on average, delays diagnosis by 7 days. Pre‐disposing factors include trauma, pregnancy, dehydration, and medications such as oral contraceptives. In one study, 50% of CVT occurred during pregnancy or puerperium 2 . Seven out of 8 cases of CVT presented postpartum among 50,700 deliveries in Canada 3 . Clinical signs and symptoms range from a mild headache to decreased level of consciousness depending on the location of thrombosis. Up to 13% of individuals can have poor outcomes despite anticoagulation therapy. Methods : A 28‐year‐old, 7‐week postpartum female awoke with a headache and difficulty speaking, followed by urinary and bowel incontinence. Her clinical status worsened and was admitted to an outside hospital where CT‐head without contrast revealed right temporal lobe hypodensity. A hyperdense straight sinus sign was present but not recognized at that time. She was transferred to our hospital and MRI brain demonstrated extensive vasogenic edema in the basal ganglia, thalami, and deep white matter with cytotoxic edema in bilateral watershed areas from severe hydrocephalus. MR‐Venography showed extensive cerebral venous thrombosis in the inferior sagittal sinus, vein of Galen, straight sinus, and left transverse and sigmoid sinuses. Upon transfer to our facility, NIHSS was 9 for decreased level of consciousness and aphasia with episodes of left‐sided clonic movements. Despite adequate anticoagulation therapy, she continued to decline with extensor posturing and a comatose state. Results : Since the findings on MRI‐brain were predominantly vasogenic edema, thrombectomy was performed with a stent‐retriever and aspiration, with complete recanalization of her straight sinus. Subsequent MRIs demonstrated improvement and resolution of the edema and hydrocephalus. Hypercoagulable work‐up revealed an elevated protein C and antithrombin III and she was transitioned to enoxaparin and discharged to LTACH. At four‐month follow‐up she was able to speak and walk with physical therapy. Conclusions : We highlight the importance of early recognition of deep venous thrombosis as it commonly affects level of consciousness. A subtle finding, it should be in the differential diagnosis of alteration in level of consciousness without obvious neuroimaging findings. The AAN guidelines for management of CVT do not advocate for thrombectomy in all patients as large randomized controlled trials do not currently exist. However, they recognize that thrombectomy may be considered if deterioration occurs despite intensive anticoagulation treatment. The TO‐ACT trial found no significant difference in mortality between intervention and medical therapy, aggressive intervention with thrombectomy prevented a larger stroke burden in our patient. Therefore, thrombectomy should be considered in patients suffering from CVT, particularly in refractory and extensive cases.