Investigation of the Prevalence of Cerebral Transverse Venous Sinus Stenosis in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Abstract

Purpose: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is an increase in intracranial pressure with a normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition that is not due to a secondary cause. The existence of cerebral transverse venous sinus stenosis and changes in venous outflow in IIH has recently gotten a lot of attention, and this situation is becoming increasingly important in terms of diagnosis and treatment plan. 
 This study aimed to investigate how frequent cerebral transverse venous sinus stenosis is in patients with IIH. 
 Methods: The demographic profile of 27 patients with IIH who were followed up in the hospital's neurological headache outpatient clinic and the occurrence of cerebral transverse venous stenosis on cranial magnetic resonance venography (MRV) were studied. Considering the pre-diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis (SVT), patients who underwent magnetic resonance venography (MRV) and whose SVT was ruled out during their follow-up were included as the control group. This control group consisted of 48 patients diagnosed with migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), and new-onset daily persistent headache.
 Results: When MRVs were investigated, cerebral transverse venous sinus stenosis was detected in %55.6 (n=15) of IIH patients and 25% (n=12) of the control group (p = 0.017).
 Conclusions: The frequency of cerebral transverse sinus stenosis in MRV of patients diagnosed with IIH was found to be significantly higher in this study than in the control group. These findings indicated that cerebral transverse venous stenosis can play a role in the progression of IIH.