title: Sudden onset hemiplegia at high altitude.
abstract: Travel to high altitude and the incumbent exposure to hypobaric hypoxia leads to a prothrombotic state. This may increase the likelihood of thromboembolic events, including stroke, in otherwise healthy individuals. While there have been sporadic anecdotal reports of 'stroke-like' syndromes at high altitude for over 100 years, there are surprisingly few detailed reports supported by imaging.This report describes a case of posterior circulation infarct thought to be due to a paradoxical embolus through a patent foramen ovale. The relationship between high-altitude physiology, increased incidence of thromboembolism and the significance of patent foramen are discussed in the report.
authors: York Garrison Medical Centre, Imphal Barracks, York, UK.
authors: Henry C
authors: HC
authors: Chandler
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK.|Academic Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, RCDM, Birmingham, UK.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Mellor
mesh_terms: D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D019320:Embolism, Paradoxical / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ALTITUDE MEDICINE