Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2012; 60(S 02): e16-e18
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1304549
Thoracic Surgery
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Cerebral Infarct Complicating Traumatic Pneumatocele: A Rare Sequela Following Blunt Chest Trauma

Emeka Kesieme
1   Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital—Thoracic Surgery, Irrua, Nigeria
,
Manfred Feldmann
2   Klinikum Bremen Ost—Neurology, Bremen, Germany
,
Katrin Welcker
3   Klinikum Bremen Ost—Thoracic Surgery, Bremen, Germany
,
Albert Linder
3   Klinikum Bremen Ost—Thoracic Surgery, Bremen, Germany
,
Georgi Prisadov
3   Klinikum Bremen Ost—Thoracic Surgery, Bremen, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

14 October 2011

21 December 2011

Publication Date:
01 May 2012 (online)

Abstract

Systemic air embolism is known to rarely complicate blunt chest trauma. However, cerebral infarction caused by air emboli possibly originating from a traumatic pneumatocele has not been previously reported. We report a case of a 46-year-old woman who sustained blunt chest trauma with multiple rib and clavicular fractures, hemothorax and a huge, tense traumatic pneumatocele. She subsequently developed clinical and radiologic features of cerebral infarction. The cerebral infarct is likely to be secondary to cerebral air embolism originating from a traumatic pneumatocele.

 
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