Cerebral Fat Embolism Syndrome

Pulmonary and Cerebral Fat Embolism Syndrome After Total Knee Replacement

Fat embolism occurs after long bone fracture or orthopedic surgery and usually shows mild symptom. But it rarely results in fat embolism syndrome, presenting as multiorgan dysfunction such as lung, brain and skin. Although the diagnosis of fat embolism syndrome is mostly based on clinical features, we experienced fat embolism syndrome involving lung and brain, showing typical imaging findings i...

Paradoxical cerebral embolisation. An explanation for fat embolism syndrome.

Fat embolism occurs following fractures of a long bone or arthroplasty. We investigated whether paradoxical embolisation through a venous-to-arterial circulation shunt (v-a) could lead to cerebral embolisation during elective hip or knee arthroplasty. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD), following the intravenous injection of microbubble contrast, identified the presence of a shunt in 41 pati...

[Post-traumatic cerebral fat embolism].

Fat Embolism Syndrome

The initial symptoms are probably caused by mechanical occlusion of multiple blood vessels with fat globules that are too large to pass through the capillaries. The vascular occlusion in fat embolism is often temporary or incomplete, as fat globules do not obstruct capillary blood flow completely because of their fluidity and deformability. The late presentation is thought to be a result of hyd...

Fat Embolism Syndrome

The classical syndrome of fat embolism is characterized by the triad of respiratory failure, neurologic dysfunction and the presence of a petechial rash. Fat embolism syndrome (FES) occurs most commonly following orthopedic trauma, particularly fractures of the pelvis or long bones, however non-traumatic fat embolism has also been known to occur on rare occasions. Because no defi nitive consens...