Case Report
When a TIA is not a TIA: A case report of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis masquerading as Transient Ischemic Attack
Kiran Kuraning, Padmakumar Arayamparambil Vijayan, Garud Suresh Chandan, Pooja Prathapan Sarada and Ganesh KM
Department of Critical Care Medicine Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Main Road, Opposite to IIMB Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
*Corresponding author:Dr Kiran Kuraning, Department of Critical Care Medicine Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Main Road, Opposite to IIMB Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. E-mail Id: kirankuraning@gmail.com
Article Information:Submission: 16/03/2026; Accepted: 28/03/2026; Published: 31/03/2026
Copyright: © 2026 Kuraning K, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Aim and Background: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon subtype of stroke predominantly seen in young adults. Wide spectrum of clinical manifestations of CVT often leads to diagnostic uncertainty and delay in initiating appropriate therapy with anticoagulation.
Case report: We report a case of 34 years old gentleman diagnosed to have cerebral venous thrombosis presenting with recurrent transient unilateral weakness suggestive of Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). Detailed workup for CVT was not suggestive of any risk factors attributing the cause to be idiopathic.
Clinical Significance: This case report highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion of CVT In patients with transient focal deficits and persistent headache and utilizing appropriate neuroimaging for accurate diagnosis.
Case report: We report a case of 34 years old gentleman diagnosed to have cerebral venous thrombosis presenting with recurrent transient unilateral weakness suggestive of Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). Detailed workup for CVT was not suggestive of any risk factors attributing the cause to be idiopathic.
Clinical Significance: This case report highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion of CVT In patients with transient focal deficits and persistent headache and utilizing appropriate neuroimaging for accurate diagnosis.
Keywords:Cerebral Venous Thrombosis; Transient Ischemic Attack; Stroke; Anticoagulation