title: Paradoxical brain embolism caused by pulmonary arteriovenous fistula.
abstract: We report here a case of special paradoxical brain embolism in a 40-year-old woman with neurological events who was diagnosed with medulla oblongata infarction. Contrast-enhanced pulmonary CT discovered that the patient had a pulmonary arteriovenous fistula (PAVF). The PAVF was later surgically resected. We conclude that if a patent foramen ovale cannot be confirmed by echocardiography, contrast-enhanced pulmonary CT scan could prove to be a helpful tool to detect another origin of a right-to-left shunt such as pulmonary arteriovenous fistula.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Q-Z
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: L-X
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Z Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D003287:Contrast Media; D019320:Embolism, Paradoxical / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media