This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Neurology  • Cerebrovascular Disease  • Surgical Interventions, Other  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging  • Alert me on articles by topic

Arch Surg. 2004;139:1257-1258.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Answer: Cerebral Fat Embolism

Figure. Magnetic resonance imaging shows scattered, spotty high-intensity areas on T₂-weighted images.

Figure appears in full text version. Figure.

The magnetic resonance imaging reported "increased densities in T₂-weighted images in the corpus callosum and frontoparietal lobes, consistent with fat embolism" (Figure). The patient remained in a coma and on mechanical ventilation for 3 weeks. He woke up on day 25 and had a slow improvement of his mental status. He was discharged a few days later to a rehabilitation center.

Cerebral fat embolism may occur without any respiratory or other symptoms.^1-3 The cerebral manifestations may include confusion, lethargy, convulsions and coma. The history of the fractures, unexplained cerebral manifestations, and unexplained anemia and thrombocytopenia should alert the clinician to the possibility of cerebral fat embolism. The brain CT scan is usually normal. The magnetic resonance imaging is diagnostic and shows scattered, spotty high-intensity areas on T₂-weighted images involving the cerebral . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION

RELATED ARTICLE

Image of the Month—Quiz Case
Demetrios Demetriades and Juan A. Asensio
Arch Surg. 2004;139(11):1257-1258.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT