Balkan medical journal
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Balkan medical journal · Aug 2017
Case ReportsRetrograde Cerebral Air Embolism in a Patient with Intestinal Necrosis: A Case Report.
Cerebral venous air embolism is a severe clinical condition related to an unfavourable outcome in patients with neurological impairment. Cerebral venous air embolism may occur secondarily to arterial or venous interventions. A rare mechanism of cerebral venous air embolism is retrograde embolism, which is characterized by gas flow in a direction that is opposite to that of the normal blood flow. ⋯ Cerebral venous air embolism may occur after pneumatosis intestinalis by a retrograde flow of air from the mesenteric veins and portal vein. Low cardiac output and supine position are contributing factors for a retrograde flow of air bubbles into the venous circulation of the brain.