Introduction: Cerebral venous thrombosis represents an infrequent cause of cerebrovascular disease, but can result in highly lethal complications such as venous infarction. It affects women of childbearing age more frequently, and the use of oral hormonal contraceptives has shown a causal relationship with this pathology.
Clinical case: We present a 28-year-old patient, with a history of using oral hormonal contraceptives for 5 consecutive years, who came to the emergency room complaining of oppressive holocephalic headache, vomiting and diplopia, of 6 days of evolution. Consciousness with a tendency to obtundation, hypobulia, bradylalia, bradypsychia, paresis of the sixth cranial nerve (left) and bilateral Babinski’s sign were appreciated. Funduscopic examination revealed bilateral developed papilledema. Non-contrast computed tomography of the skull shows direct and indirect signs of thrombosis of the deep cerebral venous system involving internal cerebral veins, vein of Galen, and straight sinus. Nuclear magnetic resonance with T2-FLAIR, Diffusion and vascular sequences confirmed the diagnosis, as well as the presence of infarction in the corresponding venous territory.. Anticoagulant therapy with low molecular weight heparin was performed for ten days and anticoagulation with warfarin was maintained for three months. The causative agent is discontinued. The patient evolved favorably and to date there have been no re currences of the thrombotic event.
Conclusions: Cerebral venous thrombosis shows a worse prognosis when it involves the deep venous system; Its evolution also depends on early diagnosis and timely treatment.
