Computer tomography perfusion patterns in iatrogenic cerebral arterial gas embolism: A retrospective cohort study

Cerebral arterial gas embolism (CAGE) occurs when air or medical gas enters the systemic circulation during invasive procedures and lodges in the cerebral vasculature. Non-contrast computer tomography (CT) may not always show intracerebral gas. CT perfusion (CTP) might be a useful adjunct for diagnosing CAGE in these patients.

This is a retrospective single-center cohort study. We included patients who were diagnosed with iatrogenic CAGE and underwent CTP within 24 h after onset of symptoms between January 2016 and October 2022. All imaging studies were evaluated by two independent radiologists. CTP studies were scored semi-quantitatively for perfusion abnormalities (normal, minimal, moderate, severe) in the following parameters: cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume, time-to-drain and time-to-maximum.

Among 27 patient admitted with iatrogenic CAGE, 15 patients underwent CTP within the designated timeframe and were included for imaging analysis. CTP showed perfusion deficits in all patients except one. The affected areas on CTP scans were in general located bilaterally and frontoparietally. The typical pattern of CTP abnormalities in these areas was hypoperfusion with an increased time-to-drain and time-to-maximum, and a corresponding minimal decrease in cerebral blood flow. Cerebral blood volume was mostly unaffected.

CTP may show specific perfusion defects in patients with a clinical diagnosis of CAGE. This suggests that CTP may be supportive in diagnosing CAGE in cases where no intracerebral gas is seen on non-contrast CT.