[Thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses: a description of its clinical features, risk factors and treatment in a hospital of Colombia].
BACKGROUND
Thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses (TCVS) is an infrequent entity that still represents a challenge in health care.


METHODS
A descriptive study involving the evaluation of the medical records of patients that met the following criteria: over 18 years of age with a diagnosis of TCVS confirmed by CAT scan or cranial MRI, the absence of a history of intracranial surgery in the previous six months and absence of a history of intracranial infection.


RESULTS
A total of 15 patients (14 females and one male) were found with an average age of 28.6 years. The time required for the development of the most frequent symptoms was 1 10 days (60%). The usual presentation was a syndrome of intracranial hypertension with focalisation and encephalopathy. Risk factors were identified in 13 patients (87%). TCVS was diagnosed by cranial MRI in the case of 14 patients (93%), by CAT scanning in one (7%) and this was also used to orient diagnosis in 12 cases (80%). The most frequently affected sinuses were the superior longitudinal and transverse, in 10 cases each (66%), and venous infarctions were also detected in 10 patients (66%). In the patients in whom we were able to evaluate clotting disorders, it was found that the only individual who displayed activated protein C resistance was positive, three out of four patients had a protein C deficiency and four out of six had an antithrombin III deficiency.


CONCLUSIONS
TCVS presents as an intracranial hypertension syndrome and it is possible to find risk factors in as many as 85% of the cases.
Volcy-Gómez
M
M
Universidad de Antioquia, Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul (HUSVP), Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia. medvol98@yahoo.com
Franco-Ruiz
C A
CA
Uribe-Uribe
C S
CS
Garcia-Jiménez
F A
FA
D000328:Adult; D003105:Colombia; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012851:Sinus Thrombosis, Intracranial / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*