title: Aortic air embolus following pulmonary tumor radiofrequency ablation.
abstract: Aortic air embolism following a computed tomography (CT) guided percutaneous transthoracic procedure is a rare occurrence, but one that can have dire consequences. We present a case of a 48-year old female diagnosed with aortic air embolism during percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of a pulmonary mass. A large amount of intra-aortic air can be seen on the CT images just before the patient suffered acute cardiac arrest. Although this is a rare occurrence, recognition and management of this complication is important for physicians who perform any percutaneous transthoracic procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W Wellington Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stimpson
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W Wellington Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.
authors.forename: Suhag
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W Wellington Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.
authors.forename: Rohan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W Wellington Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.
authors.forename: Junjian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W Wellington Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.
authors.forename: Sumit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chhadia
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W Wellington Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yedavalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W Wellington Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saker
keywords: Air embolism; CT-guided transthoracic; Hyperbaric therapy; Radiofrequency ablation