Efficacy and safety of dabigatran in the treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis: a comparison with warfarin

Abstract

Objective To compare the safety and efficacy of dabigatran and warfarin in the treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Methods The medical records of patients with CVT admitted to the Department of Neurology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2018 were analyzed respectively. According to the drug use, they were divided into dabigatran group and warfarin group. The main outcome measure was good functional outcome at 6 months after treatment, defined as the modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2. The secondary outcome measures included the rate of recanalization of the affected venous sinus and the incidence of bleeding. Results A total of 152 patients with CVT were included, including 34 in the dabigatran group and 118 in the warfarin group. There were no significant differences in demographic and baseline data between the two groups. At 6 months after treatment, the rate of good functional outcomes (94.1% vs. 93.2%; χ2=0.043, P=0.836) and the affected venous sinus recanalization (94.1% vs. 93.2%; χ2=0.043, P=0.836) in the dabigatran group and the warfarin group were not statistically significant. The bleeding rate of the dabigatran group was significantly lower than that of the warfarin group (8.8% vs. 27.1%; χ2=4.985, P=0.026). There was no significant difference in the incidence of minor bleeding between the two groups (8.8% vs. 16.1%; χ2=0.618, P=0.432), but the incidence of severe bleeding in the dabigatran group tended to be lower than that in the warfarin group (0% vs. 11.0%; Fisher's exact test P=0.074). There were no deaths in the dabigatran group and 2 deaths in the warfarin group, of which 1 pregnant woman died of recurrence of CVT at 4 months after treatment, and 1 male patient died of acute myocardial infarction at 2 months after treatment. There was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups (0% vs. 1.7%; Fisher's exact test P=1.000). Conclusions Dabigatran is as effective as warfarin in the treatment of CVT, and the risk of bleeding complications is lower. Key words: Intracranial thrombosis; Cerebral veins; Venous thrombosis; Dabigatran; Warfarin; Anticoagulants; Treatment outcome