1/3. Postoperative stroke after stopping warfarin for cutaneous surgery.BACKGROUND: Two patients undergoing cutaneous surgery had thromboembolic strokes within 1 week after surgery. Both patients had been taking warfarin for prevention of thromboembolism and warfarin was stopped 3-7 days prior to surgery. OBJECTIVE: To examine the rationale and problems associated with preoperative warfarin discontinuation. methods: review of the medical literature. RESULTS: When warfarin is stopped prior to surgery and restarted soon after surgery, the patient is at increased risk for thromboembolism. Although it is commonly believed that continuing warfarin during surgery is associated with an increased bleeding risk, for cutaneous surgery, this risk is extremely low and can be easily managed. CONCLUSION: warfarin should not be discontinued prior to cutaneous surgery because of the risk of thromboembolic stroke.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = thromboembolism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. Clinically unidentified dissection of vertebral artery as a cause of cerebellar infarction.BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: dissection of vertebral arteries has been reported in association with minor neck movements without signs of trauma on the surface of the neck. In addition, injury of a vertebral artery can cause brain infarctions. However, few cases have been reported in which fatal brain infarction was due to nonocclusive, clinically undetected, traumatic thrombus formation in a vertebral artery. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 62-year-old man was hit by a car, and a right cerebellar infarction was found the day after the accident. The cause of the infarction could not be detected by angiography. Although the patient recovered favorably after surgical removal of the right lateral hemisphere of the cerebellum, he died suddenly 2 weeks after the accident. An autopsy and a microscopic study revealed pulmonary thromboembolism and organizing traumatic lesions of the right vertebral artery without occlusion or noteworthy stenosis of the artery. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the patient sustained traumatic lesions of the right vertebral artery during the traffic accident 2 weeks before death and that his cerebellar infarction was due to a thrombus resulting from these traumatic lesions.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = thromboembolism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. Bithalamic infarcts: embolism of the top of basilar artery or deep cerebral venous thrombosis?Bithalamic infarcts are usually attributed to thromboembolism of the top of the basilar artery. However, in some cases, deep cerebral venous thrombosis and thrombosis of cerebral venous sinuses was proved to be the cause. The case of a 47-year-old female with ischemic thalamic and mesencephalic lesions is reported, that was attributed to thrombosis of internal cerebral veins. In cases of bithalamic infarcts, apart from the top of the basilar artery syndrome, deep cerebral venous thrombosis should be taken into consideration. neuroimaging findings such as generalized cerebral edema, multiple infarcts or hemorrhages, hyperdense appearance of cerebral sinuses or veins and filling defects in the cerebral venous sinuses in contrast-CCT, can lead to the proper diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = thromboembolism (Clic here for more details about this article) |