New Insights into Cerebral Veins and Dural Sinuses Thrombosis

Dear Colleagues,

Cerebral vein and intracranial dural sinus thrombosis (CVT) is a relatively uncommon disease in the general population. At least one risk factor can be identified in 85% of CVT cases. Searching for a thrombophilic state should be realized for patients with CVT who present a high pretest probability of severe thrombophilia. Two pathophysiological mechanisms determine their highly variable clinical spectrum: augmentation of venular and capillary pressure, and diminution of cerebrospinal fluid absorption. The clinical spectrum of CVT is usually non-specific. Four major syndromes have been observed: isolated intracranial hypertension, seizures, focal neurological signs and encephalopathy. Cavernous sinus thrombosis is the single CVT that presents a characteristic clinical syndrome.                                                                                                              

Non-enhanced computer tomography (NECT) of the head is the most frequently performed imaging technique at the emergency department. Features of CVT on NECT can be divided into direct signs (identification of a dense venous clot within a cerebral vein or a cerebral venous sinus) and, more frequently, indirect signs (such as cerebral edema or cerebral venous infarct). CVT diagnosis is confirmed with CT venography (CTV), directly detecting the venous clot as a filling defector magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) /MR venography (MR-V), which also realizes a better description of parenchymal abnormalities. Acute phase therapy for CVT focuses on anticoagulation, the management of seizures, increased intracranial pressure and the prevention of cerebral herniation. The majority of patients have a complete or partial recovery; however, they have an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism. Clinical and imaging follow-ups 3 to 6 months after diagnosis are recommended to assess for recanalization.

This Special Issue of Brain and Science (IF=3.3) includes, but is not limited to, the following topics: the anatomy of dural sinuses and encephalic veins; the epidemiology, risk factors and pathophysiology of CVT; and the clinical presentation, laboratory testing (including thrombophilia testing) and imaging of CVT. The management of CVT represents another important aspect devoted to acute phase therapy, management after the acute phase and prognosis of patients with CVT.

We are pleased to invite you to submit a manuscript covering experimental and clinical research, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website.

Prof. Dr. Dragos Catalin Jianu
Dr. Jean Claude Sadik
Prof. Dr. Dafin Fior Muresanu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• cerebral vein and intracranial dural sinus thrombosis (CVT)
• thrombophilia
• isolated intracranial hypertension
• non-enhanced computer tomography (NECT) of the head
• computer tomography venography (CTV)
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head
• magnetic resonance venography (MRV)
• anticoagulation