Acute-Sinus Thrombosis in a Child with Antibodies against Cardiolipins. Report of a Case Treated with Local Fibrinolysis.

A case of thrombosis of the straight sinus and the left transverse sinus in an 11 year old boy is described. The patient had a history of slight trauma followed by infection of the upper airways and presented with severe impressive and expressive dysphasia and stupor. He was treated with in situ fibrinolysis. Despite successful local fibrinolysis and thrombectomy with a balloon catheter the patient rethrombosed his left transverse sinus several times and had a late thrombosis of his jugular vein. Nevertheless, flow in the left sigmoid sinus was facilitated and focal brain oedema was significantly reduced. Serum levels of antibodies against cardiolipins, associated with venous thrombosis, were elevated and interfered with reagents used for measuring the activated partial tromboplastin time, causing it to be falsely prolonged with subsequent underdosage of heparin. He was treated with oral anticoagulants for one year after the episode and recovered completely.