Successful Endovascular Treatment of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis with a Novel, Larger Aspiration Catheter (REACT): A Case Report

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare clinical entity, with clinical presentations extending from headache and seizures to coma and death. For adults developing progressive neurological worsening despite adequate medical management, endovascular thrombolysis and/or mechanical thrombectomy may be considered as treatment options. We present one such patient with CVT who developed seizures and slipped into a coma, despite best medical management. A large-bore aspiration catheter was used as a standalone system for the endovascular procedure. The venous sinuses were successfully re-canalized. The patient was discharged a week later with a modified Rankin scale of 2. Studies show that endovascular thrombolysis used alone or in conjunction with thrombectomy for CVT has a higher risk of hemorrhagic complications. If we were to use mechanical thrombectomy devices (that are specifically designed for intracranial clot retrieval) as a stand-alone system, we would probably have better clinical outcomes with a lower risk of hemorrhagic complications.