Teaching neuroImages: Cerebral and cervical venous air embolism.

A brain CT, performed because of subacute pain and weakness in the left arm of a 61-year-old man, revealed cerebral and faciocervical venous gas emboli (figures 1 and 2). A peripheral IV catheter had been placed 2 hours prior to CT without incident of disconnection. A second CT, performed 2 hours later, showed only persistent gas in the cavernous sinus. Twelve days later, CT was normal. Transthoracic echocardiogram was normal. The clinical course was consistent with neuralgic amyotrophy. Asymptomatic cerebral venous air embolism has been described earlier after peripheral venous infusion.1 Jugular valve insufficiency might explain retrograde air passage through the internal jugular valves.2