Cerebral Venous Thromboembolism Complication of Isotretinoin Use: a Case Report

Background: We report a 27-year-old woman with any risk factor for thromboses who presented with right hemiparesis due to left transverse venous sinus occlusion associated with isotretinoin use for acne.Case presentation: A healthy 27-year-old woman ,with no significant past medical history, presented with sudden onset of headache, vomiting , right hemiparesis and unconsciousness associated with convulsions. She had a history of taking isotretinoin for acne for the last 2 months. A magnetic resonance scan of her brain showed the presence of cerebral infarction of left thalamic area , magnetic resonance venography ultimately revealed left transverse sinus thrombosis. Treatment with anticoagulation recovered her from headache but not from hemiparesis.Conclusion: Isotretinoin is one of the most used treatment modality in many patients with acne.However, isotretinoin use can be associated with life-threating thrombotic side effects especially in young patients. Physicians must be more alert to be aware of this side effect. Background: We report a 27-year-old woman with any risk factor for thromboses who presented with right hemiparesis due to left transverse venous sinus occlusion associated with isotretinoin use for acne. Case presentation: A healthy 27-year-old woman ,with no significant past medical history, presented with sudden onset of headache, vomiting , right hemiparesis and unconsciousness associated with convulsions. She had a history of taking isotretinoin for acne for the last 2 months. A magnetic resonance scan of her brain showed the presence of cerebral infarction of left thalamic area , magnetic resonance venography ultimately revealed left transverse sinus thrombosis. Treatment with anticoagulation recovered her from headache but not from hemiparesis. Conclusion: Isotretinoin is one of the most used treatment modality in many patients with acne.However, isotretinoin use can be associated with life-threating thrombotic side effects especially in young patients. Physicians must be more alert to be aware of this side effect.