Cerebral venous thrombosis presenting with cerebellar ataxia and cortical blindness

Abstract

Venous infarction in the cerebellum has been reported only rarely, probably because of the abundant venous collateral drainage in this region. Bilateral occipital infarction is a rare cause of visual loss in cerebral venous thrombosis. We describe a 50-year-old woman with a history of ulcerative colitis who developed acute cerebellar ataxia and cortical blindness. She had bilateral cerebellar and occipital lesions related to sigmoid venous thrombosis and achieved complete recovery with anticoagulation therapy. Cerebral venous thrombosis should be considered in cases of simultaneous cerebellar and occipital vascular lesions.