Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis and Papilledema Related to JAK2 Mutation: A Case Series

BACKGROUND: Dural venous sinus thrombosis (DVST) is an important cause of papilledema. Patients diagnosed with DVST should undergo work-up for underlying hypercoagulable state, including genetic causes. One important prothrombotic mutation is in the JAK2 gene, which is a driver of myeloproliferative neoplasms including polycythemia vera (PV). We aimed to determine the prevalence of JAK2 mutation in patients in presenting to neuro-ophthalmology clinic with DVST and papilledema. METHODS: Retrospective case series of patients seen in a tertiary neuro-ophthalmology practice who presented with papilledema due to DVST and were investigated for presence of JAK2 mutation. RESULTS: Four out of 15 patients with DVST (26%) were found to have JAK2 V617F mutation which led to subsequent diagnosis of PV in 2. One additional patient had a known diagnosis of essential thrombocytosis. We describe the clinical presentation of these four patients with papilledema and JAK2 mutation. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of patients with papilledema secondary to DVST will harbor mutations in the JAK2 gene. Clinicians should be aware of this mutation as early testing will facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment of myeloproliferative disease to improve prognosis and reduce risk of recurrent thrombotic events.