Cerebral venous thrombosis in Reunion Island: Review of twenty cases.

Twenty cases of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) are reported. A significant majority of patients were young women receiving oral contraceptives. In the puerperium CVT were frequent and delayed; the number of septic lateral sinus thrombosis was the same as in the occidental countries. The clinical picture was not specific, and idiopathic intracranial hypertension or pseudotumor cerebri were not frequent. Focal signs were the most frequent clinical manifestations. The clinical course, of deep CVT was not as severe as previously reported. Due to the lack of MRI, only CT scan was performed for all patients. More than 50 % showed direct signs of CVT (cord sign and delta sign). The diagnosis of CVT was confirmed by cerebral angiography. Early systematic treatment by heparin was used with neither appearance nor aggravation of hemorragic infarcts being observed. The outcome was favorable in 60% of the cases, except for venous hemorrhagic infarction.