Unusual causes of cerebral venous thrombosis

Abstract

Cerebral venous thrombosis is a relatively uncommon condition afflicting mostly young adults. Thrombosis of cerebral veins or sinuses results in variable and nonspecific clinical features, including headache, lethargy, motor or sensory deficits, seizures, neck stiffness and sometimes fever. A multitude of conditions have been attributed as risk factors for CVT. The more common conditions include hereditary thrombophilia, pregnancy and purperium, postoperative state, intracranial and local infections and the use of oral contraceptives. Frequently, the cause of CVT is multifactorial, and in less than twenty percent of cases no clear risk factor is identified. In this review, we have focused on relatively rare and unusual causes of cerebral venous thrombosis. Many of the conditions described have very few reported cases and the causal relationship is not well established.