Cerebral fat emboli in a patient with paraplegia caused by bilateral femur fractures.

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.