Radiologic Clues to Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is uncommon, representing approximately 0.5% of all cases of cerebrovascular disease worldwide. Many factors, alone or combined, can cause CVT. Although CVT can occur at any age, it most commonly affects neonates and young adults. CVT is difficult to diagnose clinically because patients can present with a wide spectrum of nonspecific manifestations, the most common of which are headache in 89%-91%, focal deficits in 52%-68%, and seizures in 39%-44% of patients. Consequently, imaging is fundamental to its diagnosis. MRI is the most sensitive and specific technique for diagnosis of CVT. The different MRI sequences, with and without the use of contrast material, have variable strengths. Contrast material-enhanced MR venography has the highest accuracy compared with sequences without contrast enhancement. Online supplemental material is available for this article. (c) RSNA, 2019 center dot radiographics.rsna.org