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Neurology
Cerebral fat emboli in a patient with paraplegia caused by bilateral femur fractures
  1. Lasse Fisker Nielsen1,
  2. Frank Pott1,
  3. Allan Lohse2,
  4. Monica Nicole Talibi3 and
  5. Markus Harboe Olsen1,4
  1. 1Department of Anaesthesiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
  2. 2Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
  3. 3Department of Radiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
  4. 4Department of Neuroanaesthesiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
  1. Correspondence to Dr Lasse Fisker Nielsen; bmj{at}l-fn.dk

Abstract

Cerebral fat embolism is a rare cause of stroke and therefore an overlooked diagnosis. Often it is seen as a consequence of major bone fractures or after arthroplasty, and can lead to respiratory or circulatory collapse. We present a case of a patient with a history of paraplegia after a thoracic spinal cord injury that developed cerebral fat embolism following a bilateral femur fracture. Since the patient was paraplegic and with an altered mental state upon admission, femoral bone fractures were not initially suspected. The case shows the difficulties in diagnosing this condition.

  • Trauma
  • Adult intensive care
  • Neuroimaging
  • Stroke
  • Neurological injury

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2023-257702

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content—LFN, FP, MNT, AL and MHO. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript—LFN, FP, MNT, AL and MHO.

    • 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.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

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