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Reminder of important clinical lesson
CASE REPORT
Multiple asymptomatic vascular air embolisms following contrast-enhanced CT scan
  1. Aina Mardiah Zulkifle and
  2. Mohamed Faisal
  1. Respiratory Unit, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Cheras, Malaysia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Mohamed Faisal, arabinose{at}hotmail.com

Abstract

Vascular air embolism (VAE) is a known complication of contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) scan occurring in venous or arterial circulation with a wide spectrum of presentations. We report a case of a 44-year-old woman with endometrial adenocarcinoma stage IVB complicated with liver abscess and pulmonary embolism who developed VAE following a routine CECT scan after the sixth cycle of chemotherapy. This was an incidental finding and the patient remained asymptomatic throughout. As such, she was treated conservatively and gradually recovered. This case report serves as a reminder that VAE should be considered in patients presenting with unexplained symptoms following this procedure.

  • Radiology
  • Respiratory Medicine

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-229169

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors AMZ was involved in the conception of the case report, review of literature and writing the manuscript. MF revised this critically and contributed to important intellectual content. Both authors participated in the final revision of the manuscript and approved the final manuscript, and are also accountable for the accuracy of the content.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Patient consent for publication Obtained.