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Updated: May 27, 2026

Induction of Cerebral Arterial Gas Embolism in Rat
Published on: October 18, 2024
Fatal cerebral air embolus complicating multimodality treatment of esophageal cancer
Siva Raja1, Thomas W Rice, David P Mason
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Abstract:
A 38-year-old woman with clinical T3N1M0 esophageal adenocarcinoma received an institutional protocol of induction chemotherapy, esophagectomy, and consolidation chemoradiotherapy. Three months after treatment, she had an acute mental status change develop and grand mal seizures. Intracranial imaging demonstrated massive cerebral air emboli, and a rapidly fatal neurologic deterioration ensued. At autopsy, a nonmalignant 0.5-cm gastric conduit to the left atrial fistula was identified. This case illustrates a rare, but fatal, late benign complication of aggressive therapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer.
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