[Cerebral Venous Thrombosis in Children: About a Series of 12 Cases]

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is rare in children. Its clinical features and its cause vary. Prognosis is dreadful due to the risk of death and neurosensory sequelae. This study aims to examine the clinical, radiological and etiological profile of CVTs in children and to evaluate the role of antithrombotic treatment. We conducted a retrospective study in the Department of Paediatrics and Paediatric Resuscitation at the Center Hospital University Mohammad VI (CHU) in Marrakech, Morocco, over a period of nine years and ten months (January 2008-October 2018). We collected data from the medical records of all patients aged between 1 months and 15 years with CVT confirmed by imaging. We listed 12 cases of CVT. The average age of patients was 6.4 years. Sex ratio was 1.4. Acute onset occurred in 7 cases. The main clinical features of CVT included seizures (7 cases), focal neurologic signs (7 cases) and signs of intracranial hypertension (IH) (6 cases). CT scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an involvement of the superficial venous network in 8 cases and extended venous involvement in 3 cases. In six cases CVT was caused by an infection, with a case of dehydration, two cases of systemic disease and a case of homocystinuria. However, the cause of the disease was unknown in two patients. Seven children were treated with antithrombotic therapy with good clinico-radiological outcome in 5 cases. Two children died and 3 others had neurological sequelae. In children, CVTs are characterized by a vast variety of clinical features and causes. The effect of anticoagulant therapy was demonstrated despite the absence of a standardized therapeutic protocol.