J Korean Soc Radiol.  2010 Oct;63(4):307-310.

A Cerebral Air Embolism That Developed Following Defecation in a Patient with Extensive Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case Report

• Oh JY
• Park DW
• Hahm CK
• Park CK
• Lee SR
• Lee Y

Abstract

Cerebral air embolisms generally result from invasive procedures such as a percutaneous needle biopsy, chest tube insertion, central venous catheter access or removal, operations and so on. Likewise, they are mostly iatrogenically induced and present various degrees of severity depending on the number of air bubbles. With the exception of divers, the occurrence of a cerebral air embolism in the absence of invasive procedures is very rare. We report a case of a cerebral air embolism that developed following defecation and was detected by CT in a patient with extensive pulmonary tuberculosis.

MeSH Terms

Biopsy, Needle
Central Venous Catheters
Chest Tubes
Defecation
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Embolism, Air
Humans
Intracranial Embolism
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary