Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis During Raloxifene Therapy: A Case Report

TL;DR

An elderly woman developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis while taking raloxifene, suggesting a rare but possible side effect.

Contribution

This case report highlights cerebral venous sinus thrombosis as a rare adverse effect of raloxifene therapy.

Findings

A 79-year-old woman on raloxifene developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.

The patient showed improvement with anticoagulant therapy despite the rare condition.

CVST was considered a potential side effect due to the absence of other thrombogenic factors.

Abstract

A 79-year-old woman taking raloxifene for osteoporosis was admitted to our hospital with right-sided hemiplegia and seizures. Computed tomography (CT) of the head revealed a subcortical hemorrhage in the left frontal to parietal lobes. CT venography (CTV) showed a disruption of the superior sagittal sinus, leading to a diagnosis of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). In the absence of other thrombogenic factors, raloxifene was considered a potential contributing factor. She received continuous intravenous heparin followed by warfarin, without clinical deterioration, and was later transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. Although venous thrombosis is a recognized adverse effect of raloxifene, CVST remains an uncommon manifestation. We therefore present this case to highlight the potential association.

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