Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in Children: A Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital of Eastern India

CONTEXT: Cerebral venous sinus (sinovenous) thrombosis (CVST) in childhood is a rare, but under recognized, disorder, typically of multifactorial etiology, with neurologic sequelae apparent in up to 40% of survivors and mortality approaching 10%. AIM: The aim of this study was to enlist the patients diagnosed as CVST younger than 14 years of age and to diagnose the etiology along with radiological correlation. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This prospective clinical study was conducted for 2 years in the Department of Neurology, Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College & Hospital (SCBMCH), Cuttack, Odisha, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All the patients were enlisted in a prestructured format with detailed clinico-radiological evaluation. Treatment was performed according to recent guidelines. Outcome after 3 months was analyzed. Ethical clearance was obtained from institutional ethics committee. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). RESULTS: The total number of patients included in the study was 30. Of them, six were neonates. The most common provocative factor was tuberculous meningitis. Phototherapy after neonatal hyperbilirubinemia was prominent cause in neonatal age group. Multiple sinus involvement was seen in most of the patients. Transverse sinus was the most common sinus to be involved. CONCLUSION: CVST is an underdiagnosed but important cause of stroke in childhood, occurring most often in the neonatal period. Mortality and morbidity are significant. Infections hyper coagulative disorders are the two primary associations. Magnetic resonance venography is the investigation of choice. Early diagnosis with management along with plan for secondary prevention can save from catastrophic consequences.