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A Migraneur with a Usual Headache: A Near-miss of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis.

Authors :
Asad SD
Lopetegui Lia N
Ferrigno BW
Alhabach H
Source :
Cureus [Cureus] 2019 Apr 05; Vol. 11 (4), pp. e4393. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Apr 05.
Publication Year :
2019

Abstract

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), while rare, is a challenging diagnosis. It can be easily missed as the presenting symptom can be just a mild headache. However, if missed and left untreated, it can lead to multiple complications, even death. There are certain risk factors that should make one suspect CVT, such as pregnancy, puerperium, use of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) or known underlying hypercoagulable disorder, to name a few. Imaging is required for diagnosis. Anticoagulation, typically long term, is the standard treatment. We present a case of a 25-year-old male who was initially discharged after an emergency department visit with symptomatic treatment for migraine headaches, and was later found to have extensive cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. It is worth emphasizing the importance of having a broad differential diagnosis and a low threshold to obtain imaging studies when patients present with persistent headaches, even in the absence of any obvious risk factors.<br />Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2168-8184
Volume :
11
Issue :
4
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Cureus
Publication Type :
Report
Accession number :
31223551
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.4393