Prophylactic lumboperitoneal shunt in cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with papilledema

Abstract

Background: Although the mainstay of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis treatment is medical, rarely surgical intervention is warranted. We aimed to determine the role of prophylactic lumbo-peritoneal (LP) shunt in cases of CVST with papilledema.Methods: This is a retrospective review of 70 cases of CVST managed between November 2019 to April 2020. Indications for surgical management included poor response to medical management and severe vision impairment.Results: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 39.44±4.76 years. The most common presenting complaint was headache (83%) and nausea/vomiting (69%). On examination, the common findings were papilledema (57%), blurred vision (31%), double vision (21%) and hemiparesis (11%). Two cases had sudden loss of vision, who underwent emergency LP shunt surgery. Of the 40 cases with papilledema, 8 had severe papilledema. Based on MRI venography, transverse sinus was involved in half of all patients, superior sagittal sinus was involved in 29% and 21% had both the sinuses involved, while 7% had cortical vein thrombosis. Anticoagulants was the first line of therapy for the patients. Papilledema was present in 40 cases, of which 10 showed complete resolution of symptoms, 15 cases had reduced severity of symptoms and symptoms persisted in rest of the 15 cases. The 10 cases who had complete resolution of symptoms included two patients who underwent LP shunt. There were no deaths.Conclusions: We recommend that a LP shunt insertion in a patient with severe papilledema with superior sagittal sinus thrombosis can prevent disease progress, preserve vision and facilitate re-canalisation.