Intracerebral hemorrhage due to venous thrombosis of developmental venous anomaly during pregnancy

Background Nowadays, developmental venous anomaly (DVA) is recognized as the most common cerebral vascular malformation. Most DVAs are diagnosed incidentally on routine brain imaging, but they are occasionally symptomatic. We report the case of a 26-year-old Japanese woman with intracerebral hemorrhage due to venous thrombosis of DVA. Methods We examined her neurologic examinations carefully. We also observed her laboratory data, brain computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Results She was 8 weeks pregnant and suffered from nausea, vomiturition, and appetite loss because of hyperemesis gravidarum. She presented with a sudden generalized seizure and was referred to our hospital. Brain CT showed a small hemorrhage and a tubular high-density structure compatible with an acutely thrombosed collecting vein in the right frontal lobe. T2∗-weighted MRI also revealed a thrombosed collecting vein along with multiple medullary veins, which looked like caput medusa. She was diagnosed with an intracerebral hemorrhage and symptomatic epilepsy secondary to thrombosis of the DVA. After the acute phase of the disease, systemic anticoagulation therapy was administered to the patient to prevent the recurrence of venous thrombosis. We suspected that hyperemesis gravidarum with intravascular dehydration might have increased the risk of thrombosis in this patient. Conclusions Thrombosis of the collecting vein of DVA is extremely rare. This is the first report regarding DVA thrombosis during pregnancy, to our knowledge.