Satoh H, Kurisu K, Ohtani M, Arita K, Okabayashi S, Nakahara T, Migita K, Iida K, Kuroki K, Ohbayashi N
Department of Neurosurgery, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Japan.
J Trauma. 1997 Aug;43(2):345-8. doi: 10.1097/00005373-199708000-00023.
Cerebral fat embolism syndrome is an uncommon complication of trauma. We present a patient who developed cerebral fat embolism syndrome secondary to long-bone fractures. Although computed tomography of the brain failed to show any intracranial lesion, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected scattered, high-signal-intensity lesions on T2-weighted images. 99mTc-d, 1-hexamethyl-propylene amine oxine single photon emission computed tomography (99mTc-HMPAO SPECT) and transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) demonstrated low cerebral blood flow in the acute stage. MRI, 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT, and TCD correlated well with the clinical course of cerebral fat embolism syndrome.
