SUMMARY We report a case in which pulmonary embolectomy was crucial in the successful outcome of an operation to remove a right sided atrial myxoma. The association between such myxomata and embolisation is emphasised and guidelines for the rational investigation and treatment of such lesions are given. The occurrence of peripheral emboli is relatively common and well documented with left atria...

An association exists between antiphospholipid antibodies and chorea. As these antibodies are associated with thrombosis, it has been suggested that cerebral infarction might cause chorea. However, CT and MRI typically do not demonstrate focal basal ganglionic lesions in such patients and an autoimmune mechanism for chorea has also been proposed. We report a young woman with left hemichorea and...

A 45 year old farmer was kicked in the chest by a horse. In the days following the injury episodic breathlessness developed and he was admitted to hospital with right ventricular failure and pulmonary emboli. Echocardiography showed global right ventricular dysfunction but a right ventricular mural thrombus, the likely source of the pulmonary emboli, was not seen. He gradually recovered after t...

OBJECTIVE We report our experience with 93 consecutive pulmonary artery reconstructions during pulmonary lobectomy with regard to morbidity, mortality, and long-term survival. METHODS Clinical records of all patients who underwent lobectomy with partial or circumferential pulmonary artery resection in a single institution during an 8-year period were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS Lobect...

OBJECTIVES To describe the mode of presentation, interventions, and outcome of HIV infected patients with pulmonary embolism and a contraindication to anticoagulation, who were treated with a bird's nest filter. METHODS Retrospective review of case records and imaging department database at UCL Hospitals, London, UK. RESULTS Three patients had pulmonary embolism and contraindications to ant...

Diagnosing pulmonary embolism is problematic since clinical signs and symptoms of PE are aspecific. Diagnostic algorithms have been developed to rationalize the use of imaging tests in patients with a clinical suspicion of PE. An algorithm based on helical CT has gained widespread interest due to the availability of helical CT. However, these algorithms have often been implemented without appro...

A 25-year-old woman presented with progressively worsening shortness of breath, which was attributed to cardiac tamponade caused by pericardial effusion. Urgent pericardiocentesis revealed haemorrhagic fluid, which continued to accumulate after the procedure. A repeat echocardiogram after pericardiocentesis showed dilatation of the right ventricle and severe pulmonary hypertension. Subsequent c...

Pulmonary tumor embolism (PTE) is a rare manifestation of cancer. It is characterized by the presence of tumor cell emboli in the pulmonary arterioles and capillaries leading to an elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance. The ante-mortem diagnosis is difficult. We report a case of PTE associated with recurrent breast cancer that presented with neurological symptoms due to paradoxical cerebra...

This case reveals a left pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) as a cause of recurrent cerebral and cerebellar emboli. Extensive workup excluded other etiologies of emboli formation, and the patient was transferred to a tertiary care center for percutaneous embolotherapy. In the absence of a clear etiology, PAVM should be considered as a potential cause of recurrent cerebral emboli, espec...