Thrombosis of the vein of Galen: a case report

Thrombosis of the deep cerebral venous system is a rare entity. We report a case of 68-year-old male presenting with headache, left side weakness, and alteration of consciousness at admission. He was diagnosed as deep cerebral venous thrombosis (DCVT) of the vein of Galen on the basis of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Anticoagulant therapy with heparin was constituted and he made a good recovery. DCVT often involves bilateral thalami and sometimes basal ganglia with obscure clinical manifestations. Therefore, early diagnosis may not be always straightforward. Brain MRI findings with unique "circular" region of signal change in bilateral thalami and basal ganglia can be very helpful for a proper diagnosis. Although early anticoagulation therapy is usually recommended, the optimal treatment of this rare disease needs further investigation.