Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: A Potential Mimic of Primary Traumatic Brain Injury in Infants

OBJECTIVE: Hyperdense venous thrombi on unenhanced head CT may be misinterpreted as different types of extraaxial hemorrhages, and hemorrhagic venous infarctions may be interpreted as parenchymal contusion, leading to an incorrect diagnosis of trauma as the cause of the blood products. The purpose of this article is to show the various appearances of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) that mimic different types of hemorrhages and to show hemorrhagic venous infarctions that mimic parenchymal contusions. CONCLUSION: CVT, as an entity, must be kept in the differential diagnosis when patients present with extraaxial hyperdensities on unenhanced head CT so appropriate management can be initiated to minimize potentially devastating consequences.