Cerebral venous sinus (sinovenous) thrombosis (CSVT) in childhood is a rare, but underrecognized, disorder, typically of multifactorial etiology, with neurologic sequelae apparent in up to 40% of survivors and mortality approaching 10%. There is an expanding spectrum of perinatal brain injury associated with neonatal CSVT. Although there is considerable overlap in risk factors for CSVT in neonates and older infants and children, specific differences exist between the groups. Clinical symptoms are frequently nonspecific, which may obscure the diagnosis and delay treatment. While morbidity and mortality are significant, CSVT recurs less commonly than arterial ischemic stroke in children. Appropriate management may reduce the risk of recurrence and improve outcome, however there are no randomized controlled trials to support the use of anticoagulation in children. Although commonly employed in many centers, this practice remains controversial, highlighting the continued need for high-quality studies. This article reviews the literature pertaining to pediatric venous sinus thrombosis.
Cerebral venous sinus (sinovenous) thrombosis (CSVT) is an increasingly recognized cause of childhood and neonatal stroke. Recent developments in the field highlight the expanding spectrum of perinatal brain injury associated with neonatal CSVT. Although there is considerable overlap in risk factors for neonatal and childhood CSVT, specific differences exist between the groups. Management remains controversial, unlike in adult sinovenous thrombosis. However, morbidity and mortality are significant, highlighting the continued need for high-quality studies within this field. This article reviews the literature on childhood CSVT ( Table 1 ) and highlights developments in our understanding of neonatal CSVT.
Study | No. of patients | Demographics, N (%) | Risk Factors | Infarction (%) | Treatment (%) | Outcome (%) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Country | Males | Neonate | None, N (%) | Systemic (N or %) | Infection (%) | PT (%) | Acute ACT | Chronic ACT | Follow-up (y) | Death | Abnormal | |||
Mallick et al, 2009 | 21 | UK | 10 (48) | 0 | 2 (10) | Nephrotic syndrome (3) | Any infection (71) | 25 | 14 | 100 | 67 | 0.42–6 | 10 | 29 |
CNS tumor (1) | OM/Mastoiditis (62) | Bland (100) | UFH (100) | Coumadin (100) | ||||||||||
OCP (2) | Sepsis (10) | Hemorrhagic (0) | LMWH (14) | LMWH (19) | ||||||||||
Dehydration (14) | ||||||||||||||
Anemia (19) | ||||||||||||||
Vieira et al, 2009 | 53 | Portugal | 30 (57) | 6 (11) | 7 (13) | Nephrotic syndrome (2) | Any infection (57) | 40 | NR | 68 | 100 | 1.1–6 | 0 | 43 |
CNS tumor (1) | Mastoiditis (43) | Coumadin (100) | ||||||||||||
SLE (1) | Meningitis (13) | |||||||||||||
Head trauma (1) | ||||||||||||||
Diabetes (1) | ||||||||||||||
Chemotherapy (5) | ||||||||||||||
Dehydration (4) | ||||||||||||||
Wasay et al, 2008 | 70 | USA | 28 (40) | 25 (36) | 7 (10) | Nephrotic syndrome (1) | Any infection (40) | 56 | NR | 21 | 12 | NR | 13 | 46 |
SLE (2) | OM/MA/Sinusitis (24) | Coumadin (100) | ||||||||||||
SCD (1) | Meningitis (3) | |||||||||||||
Homocystinuria (3) | Sepsis (13) | |||||||||||||
Leukemia (2) | ||||||||||||||
OCP (1) | ||||||||||||||
Chemotherapy (1) | ||||||||||||||
Dehydration (4) | ||||||||||||||
Anemia (10) | ||||||||||||||
Fever (33) | ||||||||||||||
Kenet et al, 2007 | 396 | Germany | 236 (60) | 75 (19) | NR | NR | NR | NR | 10 | 63 | 42 | 0–7.1 | 3 | NR |
Israel | Bland (10) | UFH (51) | LMWH (76) | |||||||||||
UK | Hemorrhagic (90) | LMWH (48) | ||||||||||||
Belgium | ||||||||||||||
Fitzgerald et al, 2006 | 42 | USA | 24 (57) | 42 (100) | NR | Cardiac condition (11) | Any infection (17) | 64 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 0.2–15 | 3 | 79 |
Dehydration (26) | Meningitis (10) | Bland (12) | ||||||||||||
Sepsis (7) | Hemorrhagic (88) | |||||||||||||
IVH (20) | ||||||||||||||
Bonduel et al, 2006 | 38 | Argentina | 27 (71) | NR | 3 (8) | SLE (1) | Any Infection (50) | NR | NR | 68 | 68 | 0.25–11.5 | 23 | 32 |
CNS tumor (2) | LMWH (68) | Coumadin (100) | ||||||||||||
Leukemia (8) | ||||||||||||||
Lymphoma (2) | ||||||||||||||
Head trauma (2) | ||||||||||||||
Chemotherapy (7) | ||||||||||||||
Dehydration (5) | ||||||||||||||
Sébire et al, 2005 | 42 | UK | 27 (64) | NR | 0 | Cardiac condition (2) | Any infection (55) | 62 | 60 | 43 | 43 | 0.5–10 | 12 | 62 |
IBD (1) | OM (41) | Bland (52) | UFH (83) | |||||||||||
Nephrotic syndrome (3) | MA (26) | Hemorrhagic (48) | LMWH (17) | |||||||||||
SLE (2) | ||||||||||||||
SCD (2) | ||||||||||||||
Thalassemia (1) | ||||||||||||||
CNS tumor (2) | ||||||||||||||
Leukemia (2) | ||||||||||||||
Dehydration (19) | ||||||||||||||
Anemia (19) | ||||||||||||||
Kenet et al, 2004 | 46 | Israel | 29 (63) | 8 (17) | 7 (15) | Cardiac condition (4) | Any infection (39) | 42 | NR | 88 | NR | NR | 4 | 17 |
IBD (1) | MA/Sinusitis (35) | |||||||||||||
SLE (2) | ||||||||||||||
Homocystinuria (1) | ||||||||||||||
OCP (1) | ||||||||||||||
Head trauma (4) | ||||||||||||||
Barnes et al, 2004 | 16 | Australia | 8 (50) | 0 | NR | NR | Any infection (88) | 31 | NR | 63 | NR | 0.02–5 | NR | 38 |
OM/MA (44) | UFH (30) | |||||||||||||
Meningitis/Abscess (44) | LMWH (80) | |||||||||||||
Coumadin (30) | ||||||||||||||
Heller et al, 2003 | 149 | Germany | 84 (56) | 40 (27) | 44 (30) | IBD (1) | Any infection (44) | 56 | NR | 88 | 73 | NR | 0 | NR |
Nephrotic syndrome (1) | OM (3) | UFH (47) | LMWH (100) | |||||||||||
Steroid use (3) | MA (9) | LMWH (40) | ||||||||||||
OCP (4) | Meningitis (4) | |||||||||||||
Head trauma (10) | Sepsis (5) | |||||||||||||
Sinusitis (3) | ||||||||||||||
Varicella (1) | ||||||||||||||
Gastroenteritis (3) | ||||||||||||||
Wu et al, 2002 | 30 | USA | NR | 30 (100) | 4 (13) | Cardiac condition (7) | Any infection (13) | 57 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Dehydration (3) | Sepsis (10) | |||||||||||||
Pneumonia (3) | ||||||||||||||
Huisman et al, 2001 | 19 | Switzerland | 9 (47) | 0 | NR | Head trauma (9) | Any infection (37) | NR | 11 | NR | NR | NR | 11 | NR |
MA (32) | ||||||||||||||
Meningitis (5) | ||||||||||||||
DeVeber et al, 2001 | 160 | Canada | 87 (57) | 69 (43) | 4 (3) | Cardiac condition (8) | Any infection (27) | 24 | 41 | 53 | NR | 0.05–5.2 | 8 | 38 |
Dehydration (25) | Sepsis (18) | Bland (32) | LWMH (59) | |||||||||||
Hemorrhagic (68) | UFH (41) | |||||||||||||
Coumadin (46) | ||||||||||||||
Carvalho et al, 2000 | 31 | USA | 21 (68) | 19 (61) | NR | Cardiac condition (4) | Any infection (39) | NR | 48 | 0 | 0 | NR | 13 | 52 |
CNS tumor (1) | MA (23) | |||||||||||||
Chemotherapy (1) | Meningitis (10) | |||||||||||||
Dehydration (13) | Sepsis (7) |