ABSTRACT

Thrombosis of the dural sinus and/or cerebral veins (CVT) is an uncommon form of stroke, usually affecting young indi-viduals and represents 0.5% to 1% of all strokes. Predisposing causes of CVT are multiple. The aim of our study was to evaluate the patients who were diagnosed sinus vein thrombosis at our clinic and discuss the underlying etiology, age and sex distribu-tion , clinical and imaging findings.

Between January 2005 and January 2015, the records of 68 patients who were hospitalized at Neuro-logy clinic for etiological assesment were collected from hospital records and files. Complaints, examination findings and underlying etiologies were classified.

A total of 68 patients ( 20 male, 48 female) were enrolled to the study. Mean age was 41.88±18.68. Patients’ most commonly complaints were headache, nausea, vomiting , blurred vision and seizures. Papilledema was the most common finding on neurologic examination. Thrombosis was observed most frequently in the transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus on magnetic resonance venography. For the etiology, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, protein C resistance, pregnancy, puerperium, oral contraceptive usage, mastoiditis, sinusitis, Behcet's disease, lung cancer, brain tumors, breast cancer, head trauma, brain surgery, tumor surgery and hyperhomocysteinemia were identified. Seventeen patients with sinus venous thrombosis were considered with idiopathic etiology.

Especially for the young female patients with headache sinus venous thrombosis should be considered. Beside the protrombotic conditions other etiologies should be investigated.

Keywords: Sinus Vein Thrombosis, Headache, Papilledema