title: Cortical blindness and ataxia complicating bronchial artery embolization for severe hemoptysis.
abstract: Complications of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) are uncommon. A 37-year-old patient with pulmonary tuberculosis received bronchial artery embolization because of severe hemoptysis. The bilateral bronchial arteries and left internal mammary artery were embolized using a gelatin sponge, and the patient exhibited occipital blindness and ataxia after the second BAE. The dissolvable gelatin sponge possibly entered the posterior circulation, resulting in the multiple infarctions in the bilateral occipital lobes and cerebellum. Because of the bad prognosis and the difficulty for curability, this kind of complication should be recognized in a timely manner and carefully avoided by the interventional radiologists carrying out the BAE.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College, Zhejiang University, China.
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Lingxiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Benyan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001259:Ataxia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D019575:Blindness, Cortical / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D001981:Bronchial Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006469:Hemoptysis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index