The role of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in the diagnosis of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to assist in the diagnosis of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) with the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR).

Background: Diagnosis of CVST is difficult.

Methods: Patients, who visited the emergency department between March 1, 2013 and March 1, 2021 and underwent magnetic resonance (MR) venography were included. The patients' MR venography results, ages, gender, NLR, were collected. The patients were categorized according to their CVST diagnosis status, and NLR were compared.

Results: Of the 530 patients included in the study, 366 (69.1 %) were female, and the median age was 40 (31-58) years. CVST was detected in 57 (10.8 %) patients, no pathological diagnosis was detected in 251 (47.4 %) patients. The median NLR of the patients with CVST was statistically significantly higher than in the patients without CVST and in the patients without any diagnosis ((3.94 [2.5-6.47] vs 3.03 [1.93-5.43], p = 0.023) (3.94 [2.5-6.47] vs 2.92 [1.86-4.95], p = 0.009). In the ROC analysis performed with reference to the patients without any diagnosis, NLR obtained 0.612 AUC.

Conclusion: Significantly higher NLR levels were found in CVST patients compared to the patients, who were not diagnosed with CVST and the patients without any diagnosis (Tab. 5, Fig. 2, Ref. 22).

Keywords: cerebral venous sinus thrombosis; diagnosis; neutrophil lymphocyte..