South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Case Reports
Quadriplegia following venous air embolism during posterior fossa exploration. A case report.
A frequent complication of posterior fossa exploration with the patient in the sitting position is venous air embolism. Spinal cord deficits following such a mishap have rarely been reported. We report a case in which a patient who suffered venous air embolism developed quadriplegia from the C6 level. The mechanisms of passage of air into the arterial system are discussed.