Retrograde thrombosis of the superficial sylvian vein following liquid adhesive hemostat use during craniotomy: illustrative case

Background: Intravascular injection of liquid adhesive hemostats is a rare but serious complication that can result in cerebral thromboembolism.

Observations: A 64-year-old female underwent orbitozygomatic craniotomy for posterior communicating artery aneurysm clipping with the routine use of a flowable hemostatic agent during extradural dissection. After placement of the aneurysm clip, flow was confirmed through the parent vessel and nearby branches. On postoperative day 1, the patient was found to have superficial middle cerebral vein thrombosis with retrograde embolization and subsequent hemorrhagic infarction of the temporal lobe. Eight prior cases of intracranial infarction or hemorrhage secondary to thrombosis with intravascular liquid adhesive were identified. With a craniotomy approach, the transverse and sigmoid sinuses were the most common sites of thrombosis, and the vertebral and basilar arteries had the highest incidence of thrombosis after cervical fusion.

Lessons: Intravascular injection of liquid adhesive agents can result in cerebral venous thrombosis, typically of a dural venous sinus. This may present following retrograde embolization, which has not previously been reported. The choice of hemostat, surgical approach, nearby vasculature, and anatomical variations should be carefully considered in the operative management of neurosurgical patients. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24607.