Fatal hemorrhage during anticoagulation of cardioembolic infarction: role of cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
We report a patient with recurrent cardioembolism and hemorrhagic infarcts, who developed a fatal intracerebral hemorrhage 3 days after intravenous anticoagulation. At autopsy, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) was found. Because CAA and anticoagulation may add up to trigger cerebral hemorrhage, the possibility of underlying CAA should be raised before anticoagulating elderly patients with stroke.
Melo
T P
TP
Department of Neurology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Bogousslavsky
J
J
Regli
F
F
Janzer
R
R
D000368:Aged; D001241:Aspirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016657:Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006493:Heparin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology
D006493:Heparin; D001241:Aspirin