Cerebral Sinovenous Thrombosis Associated With Isopropanol Ingestion in an Infant

Abstract

This report describes a 5-week-old female infant who presented with accidental ingestion of rubbing alcohol (which contains about 70% isopropanol), and was subsequently diagnosed with cerebral sinovenous thrombosis. Isopropanol is a clear, volatile 3-carbon alcohol found in varying concentrations in many solvents. Mislabeled rubbing alcohol was mixed with this patient's formula. After ingesting it, she presented with a 1-day history of uncontrolled fussiness and an episode of deviation of the eyes to the right for 30 minutes, followed by rhythmic movements of the arms and legs for 20 minutes. Cerebral imaging demonstrated sinovenous thrombosis. To our knowledge, there have been no reports describing cerebral sinovenous thrombosis as a complication of isopropanol ingestion. The possible association of isopropanol ingestion and sinovenous thrombosis is discussed.