Endovascular treatment for intracranial venous sinus thrombosis

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and risk of endovascular treatment for intracranial venous sinus thrombosis. Methods: Twenty seven patients with intracranial venous sinus thrombosis confirmed by CT, MRI, MRV and/or DSA, from 2004 September to 2006 September, were treated with anticoagulant therapy but without response and then followed by multiple modalities including endovascular treatment. Nineteen of them accepted intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombus maceration, another 5 accepted intravenous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombus maceration and intraarterial thrombolysis and the last 3 with stenting. Results: After thrombolysis, symptoms and signs of 23 patients improved obviously and headache disappeared in 18 of them, but with only mild degree in other 5 and no improvement in 3. Twenty one patients among them achieved recanalization of sinuses completely as confirmed on postprocedural angiography, MRI and MRV studies taken prior to hospital discharge and other 3 achieved recanalization of sinuses partly. Conclusion: Endovascular treatment is an effective and safe measure for potentially catastrophic intracranial dural sinus thrombosis. (authors)