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Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) in children: what the pediatric radiologists need to know

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Abstract

Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) is a relatively uncommon and potentially life-threatening condition in childhood, occurring in various clinical settings. Nowadays, however, it is increasingly diagnosed as related to many causes, likely due to greater clinical awareness and improvement of neuroradiologic techniques. The prompt diagnosis is an important goal to significantly reduce the risk of acute complications and long-term sequelae. The purpose of this narrative overview is to provide a useful educational tool in daily clinical practice for radiologists with a broad perspective of CSVT including a discussion of more common potential pitfalls related to misinterpretation of images in children. This paper will also review the normal venous anatomy, its variants, risk factors that contribute to cause CSVT (neonates with their specific causes of CSVT are not included in this review) and the practical imaging feature of cerebral sinovenous thrombosis on MRI and CT. Finally, a brief overview of frequent and severe CSVT conditions in children with key points in imaging is shown.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Imaging, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy

    Chiara Carducci, Giovanna Stefania Colafati, Lorenzo Figà-Talamanca, Daniela Longo, Tommaso Lunardi, Francesco Randisi & Bruno Bernardi

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  1. Chiara Carducci
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  2. Giovanna Stefania Colafati
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  3. Lorenzo Figà-Talamanca
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  7. Bruno Bernardi
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Correspondence to Chiara Carducci.

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Carducci, C., Colafati, G., Figà-Talamanca, L. et al. Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) in children: what the pediatric radiologists need to know. Radiol med 121, 329–341 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-016-0630-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-016-0630-9

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