Magnetic resonance black-blood thrombus imaging can confirm chronic cerebral venous thrombosis: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is easily missed or misdiagnosed in clinical settings because of its high variability in terms of symptoms and radiological findings. Herein, we aimed to explore a promising modality for confirming presumed CVT in the hope to uncover its superior diagnostic performance to conventional imaging modalities. Case presentation: The patient complained of intolerable pain in her forehead and left eye. Her lumbar puncture opening pressure was 140 mmH(2)O, and her cerebrospinal fluid composition was normal. No marked abnormalities were observed in routine brain images, including non-contrast computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance venography. However, chronic mural thrombi in the lumen of the left cortical veins, transverse/sigmoid sinus, and superior sagittal sinus were identified in magnetic resonance black-blood thrombus imaging (MRBTI) maps. CONCLUSIONS: MRBTI can be used to directly and non-invasively visualize thrombi, and may thus be a promising tool over alternative routine techniques for confirming the diagnosis of CVT.