Cerebral thrombosis at altitude: its pathogenesis and the problems of prevention and treatment.

In analyzing cerebral thrombosis at altitude--own case and in the literature--we anatomically confirmed that cerebral thrombi in mountain sickness were all of venous origin. All climbers went higher than 5,000 m and most stayed in that altitude longer than 3 weeks. Hemoconcentration was confirmed in two cases, including our own patient. It was suspected that hemoconcentration resulting from secondary polycythemia and dehydration at altitude, as well as cerebral circulatory disturbance produced by high-altitude cerebral edema, played a major role in the development of cerebral thrombosis. The problems of prevention and treatment of cerebral thrombosis at altitude are discussed.