aetiology
Last reviewed 05/2021
Primary, or aseptic, cerebral venous thrombosis is rare. It usually occurs in the very young, the very old, or the debilitated. Predisposing factors include:
- anaemia
- increased blood coagulability
- hypotension
- cachexia
- dehydration
Causes of secondary thrombosis include:
- most frequently, direct injury through a fracture of the skull or other trauma
- spread of infection from a neighbouring site:
- cavernous sinus and sagittal sinus thrombosis - from infection of the face, or of the sphenoid, frontal or ethmoid sinuses
- lateral sinus thrombosis from mastoiditis
- furunculosis and cutaneous sepsis
- pregnancy, puerperium
- oral contraceptive pill
- dehydration
- haematological disease, for example polycythaemia
- malignancy - metastatic emboli
- miscellaneous, including polyarteritis nodosa