Dural and cerebral venous thrombosis

Introduction Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and dural sinus thrombosis is a disease that can cause a wide variety of non-specific signs and symptoms and can be quite variable in its degree of severity. The first description of this disease is attributed to the French physician Ribes, who in 1825 observed thrombosis of the sagittal sinus and cerebral veins in a man who had suffered from seizures and delirium. CVT remained a disease that was diagnosed almost entirely post-mortem until the second half of the twentieth century. At first diagnosis was made by clinical signs and symptoms as well as lumbar puncture, but with the advent of sophisticated neurovascular imaging the diagnosis of this disease is more readily established. Making the diagnosis can be challenging and requires a high index of suspicion. The disease can mimic several other processes, making it all the more difficult to diagnose. CVT is a much less common form of stroke than arterial thrombosis, and the venous system can be overlooked in working up the cause of a neurologic symptom. It is an important cause of central nervous system (CNS) disease and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a broad range of patients.