Report of clinical case: Catatonic symptoms as a result of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis

Abstract

Clinical case

We present the case of an 18-year-old woman attending the emergency room due to behavioral disorders that appeared 24 hours ago. The clinic was of restlessness, uninhibited behavior, stereotyped movements, global insomnia, semimutism and negativism. Initially she was diagnosed with catatonia, and was admitted to the Mental Health Hospitalization Unit. There were no previous psychopathological antecedents, although relatives reported that she had several stressors. During admission, she had a partial response to benzodiazepine treatment, and a loss of strength in the left upper limb was evidenced, and venous sinus thrombosis was diagnosed. With the anticoagulant treatment, the psychiatric symptomatology presented was markedly improved.

Medical examination

Normal vital signs, afebrile. Absence of focal neurological signs. Stereotyped movements, oral-buccal dyskinesia. Negativism, disinhibition and oppositional behaviour. Supplementary tests with results within the normal range. Cranial MRI: Upper, transverse and sigmoid right sagittal sinus thrombosis.

Conclusions

Numerous cases of thrombosis have been documented as a result of a catatonic state, mainly due to the immobilization and the risk involved. However, in this case, sudden onset of psychiatric symptoms, absence of psychiatric antecedents, and excellent response to anticoagulant therapy, leads us to conclude that catatonic symptoms could be considered as a consequence of cerebral edema caused by thrombosis. The presentation of catatonia as the sole cause of a somatic disorder is not common, but would be stimulated by certain factors, such as excessive stress and personality disorders, documented as vulnerability factors for such symptoms.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.