[Ischemic brain infarction after an air embolism. Case report].
Ischemic stroke due to embolic air is uncommon. There are few reports of patients with air embolic stroke as a complication of endoscopic procedures. The temporal relationship between the stroke and this procedure is the most important clue for the diagnosis. CT scan and MRI of the brain are confirmatory tests. The morbidity and mortality is high. Patients should be hospitalized in a critical care service and treated as soon as possible with oxygen in a pressure camera. We report a 52 years old woman with an ovarian cancer that, during an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, had a severe alteration of consciousness that did not respond to the use of Flumazenil. A CT scan showed multiple areas of air embolism in the watershed area between anterior and middle right cerebral arteries. A conservative treatment was decided and the patients died 48 hours later.
Mellado T
Patricio
P
Departamento de Neurología, Facultad de Medicina, Hospital Clinico de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. pmellado@med.puc.cl
Constanzo P
Freddy
F
Miquel P
Juan Francisco
JF
Ibáñez L
Patricio
P
D020771:Anterior Cerebral Artery; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020243:Infarction, Anterior Cerebral Artery / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed