Cerebellar venous thrombosis mimicking a cerebellar tumor due to polycythemia vera: a case report

BACKGROUND: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) occurs rarely in the general population and is frequently associated with confused clinical findings and delayed diagnosis. Isolated cerebellar cortical vein thrombosis is a very rare phenomenon. CASE PRESENTATION: This report describes a case with CVT, which is manifested as space-occupying lesions of the cerebellar hemisphere and mimics a cerebellar tumor at the beginning. The diagnosis of CVT was finalized given the laboratory and brain biopsy findings. The etiology may be related to polycythemia vera with Janus Kinase 2 V617F mutation. CONCLUSION: Isolated cerebellar vein thrombosis should be considered when swelling and enhancing cerebellar lesions are detected. Polycythemia vera, especially with a positive JAK2 V617F mutation, may be a rare risk factor for CVT.