A Case Report of Pediatric Cerebral Venous Thrombosis with Undiagnosed Complex Congenital Heart Disease: Tetralogy of Fallot with OS ASD: A Cataclysmic Ending

Abstract

Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST/CSVT) is occlusion of cerebral veins and venous sinuses of brain secondary to blood clot formation resulting in hindrance in the blood drainage system in brain, leading to disturbances the internal homeostasis of brain, raised intracranial pressure, cerebral edema, and 50% of cases will have venous infarction or venous hemorrhage (stroke). CVST although being a Rare disorder but may be more common in children than adults with greater risk in neonatal period i.e. first 28 days of life. Here we are discussing a case of Pediatric CVST in a 7-month-old baby boy who presented to Emergency Room (ER) with recurrent discrete episodes of vomiting, fever, seizures, drowsiness and respiratory distress. The fatal outcome in our child was attributed to delayed presentation in a tertiary care center, hence missed early diagnosis and treatment. In this child the CVST could be result of amalgamation of complex underlying ongoing multiple pathological processes: an acute systemic illness like sepsis, severe dehydration, undiagnosed and untreated complex congenital heart disease, tetralogy of fallot with osteum secondum atrial septal defect, worsening the coagulopathy. It takes this case even more unique. This discussion is to bring focus on the importance of knowledge about CVST amongst emergency physicians and primary care physicians, specially managing this rare disorder with flummox presentation mimicking other more common disorders, especially in pediatric and neonatal population where definitive history and chief complaints are often vague and difficult to obtain, making it more difficult to diagnose. We the authors hence reporting this case with intent to spread awareness of CVST, how to doubt it, detect it and then manage it, especially in places like Chhattisgarh, India, where CVST is not so uncommon. We believe early diagnosis, early presentation to tertiary care center with aggressive early treatment can significantly reduce the mortality. Should the parents brought the baby early to any tertiary care center owing to his complex deteriorating symptoms like high grade fever progressed to drowsiness and seizure episodes, could there be a different outcome for this child as well as his parents.