Thrombolytic Therapy for Cerebral Vein Thrombosis in Antiphospholipid Syndrome Secondary to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

• Main Authors: Mehrzad Hajialilo, Hamid Noshad, Reza Mohammadian, Ali Reza Khabbazi, Mohammad Hossein Daghighi, Parviz Saleh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences 2012-03-01
• Series: Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences
• Subjects: Systemic lupus erythematosus; antiphospholipid syndrome; venous thrombosis; tissue plasminogen activator
• Online Access: http://Systemic lupus erythematosus; antiphospholipid syndrome; venous thrombosis; tissue plasminogen activator

A 20-year-old woman was admitted to a Gynecology Hospital in her 6th month of pregnancy for high blood pressure and tonic-clonic seizure. Primary diagnosis was eclampsia, and for that reason she underwent cesarean section. She also had headache on frontal and parietal areas without nausea or vomiting. There was not a focal neurological sign. Rheumatology consultation was requested. Sys-temic lupus erythematosus and secondary antiphospholipid (APS) was confirmed. The patient had headache that continued several days after cesarean section, therefore, brain magnetic resonance im-aging (MRI) and magnetic resonance venography (MRV) were performed, and cerebral vein thrombosis was documented. Distal segment of right lateral sinus and sigmoid sinus were not ap-peared in brain MRV. Abnormal hypersignal intensity of right lateral sinus/coronal T2 was detected. Thrombolytic therapy with 20 mg tissue plasminogen activator on right sigmoid and transverse sinus was performed by an interventional neurologist. After this procedure, the patient's headache healed and she was discharged in a good condition.