TY - JOUR
T1 - Transesophageal echocardiographically-confirmed pulmonary vein thrombosis in association with posterior circulation infarction
AU - Kinsella, Justin A.
AU - MacCarthy, Allan J.
AU - Kiernan, Thomas J.
AU - Moore, David P.
AU - McDermott, Raymond S.
AU - McCabe, Dominick J.H.
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - Pulmonary venous thromboembolism has only been identified as a cause of stroke with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations/fistulae, pulmonary neoplasia, transplantation or lobectomy, and following percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary vein ostia in patients with atrial fibrillation. A 59-year-old man presented with a posterior circulation ischemic stroke. 'Unheralded' pulmonary vein thrombosis was identified on transesophageal echocardiography as the likely etiology. He had no further cerebrovascular events after intensifying antithrombotic therapy. Twenty-eight months after initial presentation, he was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and died 3 months later. This report illustrates the importance of doing transesophageal echocardiography in presumed 'cardioembolic' stroke, and that potential 'pulmonary venous thromboembolic' stroke may occur in patients without traditional risk factors for venous thromboembolism. Consideration should be given to screening such patients for occult malignancy.
AB - Pulmonary venous thromboembolism has only been identified as a cause of stroke with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations/fistulae, pulmonary neoplasia, transplantation or lobectomy, and following percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary vein ostia in patients with atrial fibrillation. A 59-year-old man presented with a posterior circulation ischemic stroke. 'Unheralded' pulmonary vein thrombosis was identified on transesophageal echocardiography as the likely etiology. He had no further cerebrovascular events after intensifying antithrombotic therapy. Twenty-eight months after initial presentation, he was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and died 3 months later. This report illustrates the importance of doing transesophageal echocardiography in presumed 'cardioembolic' stroke, and that potential 'pulmonary venous thromboembolic' stroke may occur in patients without traditional risk factors for venous thromboembolism. Consideration should be given to screening such patients for occult malignancy.
KW - Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
KW - Pulmonary vein thrombosis
KW - Stroke
KW - Transesophageal echocardiography
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78650640950&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000313599
DO - 10.1159/000313599
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:78650640950
SN - 1662-680X
VL - 2
SP - 24
EP - 31
JO - Case Reports in Neurology
JF - Case Reports in Neurology
IS - 1
ER -