[Cerebral embolism. A neurologist's point of view]

Cardiac emboli (CE) are the second most frequent cause of ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accidents, and also the second cause of cerebral infarction. This present work comprises: pathologic arterial findings (the principal sites where stimuli lodge) and cerebral findings (of variance size with an often hemorrhagic aspect of infarctions); infrequently encountered clinical presentations; the etiologies of CE, emphasizing in particular, the increasing role of idiopathic atrial fibrillation; and lastly, current information available on the indications for immediate anticoagulant therapy.