A Case of Intermittent CT Imaging for Up to 2 Hours Following Asymptomatic Air Emboli Due to a CT-guided Lung Biopsy

Overview

Journal Radiol Case Rep

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Radiology

Date 2024 Jan 31

PMID 38292794

Authors

Akihito Nakajima

Takatoshi Kubo

Yudai Nakai

Eisuke Shibata

Osamu Abe

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Air emboli represent rare but severe complications of computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy (CTLB). No reports exist regarding the behavior of air during the early stages of air emboli. We present a case of air emboli following CTLB, evaluated by intermittent CT over a 2-hour period, spanning from onset to resolution. A man in his 60s underwent CTLB for diagnosis of a slowly enlarging pulmonary nodule in the right lower lobe. Immediately post-biopsy, chest CT revealed air emboli in the right coronary artery and apex of the ascending aorta. The patient was in the head-down position on the CT table, and intermittent CT scans were performed over a 2-hour period until the air emboli resolved. Subsequently, the patient was discharged without any complications.

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