Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Associated With Seat Belt Syndrome

Abstract

A 7-year-old boy presented with seat belt syndrome (SBS) associated severe laryngeal injury and liver contusions after a frontal impact motor vehicle crash. At admission, brain and cervical computed tomography scans (CTS) were normal, and the patient was conservatively treated with 10day mechanical ventilation and adequate sedation. Initial and repeated ultrasonographic examinations employing a triplex window of carotids and internal jugular veins were normal. In the early postextubation period, the patient exhibited brain dysfunction characterized by absence of spontaneous movements and decreased level of consciousness, with left limb weakness and unilateral right pupil dilation. An immediate head CTS excluded the presence of cerebral edema, hematoma, or ischemia, and the electroencephalogram was normal.