UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Critical Care

Title: Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

Posted: 3/22/2016 by Mike Winters, MD
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Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

Approximately 25% of patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) will experience neurologic deterioration.
This is most commonly due to an increase in ICP that results in transtentorial herniation.
While heparin remains the treatment of choice for CVT, consider the following alternative strategies in the acutely decompensating patient:
- Endovascular thrombolysis
- Mechanical thrombectomy
- Decompressive hemicraniectomy

Fam D, Saposnik G. Critical care management of cerebral venous thrombosis. Curr Opin Crit Care 2016; 22:113-9.