ABSTRACT
Echo contrast agents, such as SonoVue®, (Bracco, Milan, Italy) are often used to enhance diagnosis. Although their use is safe, some rare side effects could be severe or even fatal. We are reporting a case of severe systemic allergic reaction after infusion of SonoVue®. After a brief review of the literature, the aim of this paper is to draw attention to this risk and recall the safety instructions coming with the use of ultrasound contrast agents.
Subject(s)
Anaphylaxis/chemically induced , Contrast Media/adverse effects , Phospholipids/adverse effects , Sulfur Hexafluoride/adverse effects , Ultrasonography , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Ultrasonography/methodsABSTRACT
The auscultatory technique remains the point of reference for the validation of non-invasive blood pressure measurement devices, although the exact origin of the Korotkoff sounds is still debated and comparison with intra-arterial measurement shows limits and pitfalls. Automatic oscillometric devices are now widely used by nurses, physicians, and patients. However, many available devices have not been duly validated. Moreover, they calculate systolic and diastolic blood pressures using undisclosed algorithms. Therefore, these devices are not interchangeable, and their reliability may be questionable in some clinical situations. Nevertheless, oscillometry is increasingly used, beside NIBP, for the assessment of central blood pressure and systemic arterial wall stiffness. Awareness of its limits and causes of error is all the more necessary.
Subject(s)
Blood Pressure Determination/instrumentation , Blood Pressure , Oscillometry/instrumentation , Auscultation , Automation , Humans , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
In a patient with a mechanical prosthetic aortic valve admitted for transient amnesia, transcranial duplex Doppler and B-mode sonography visualized the transit of microemboli along the main cerebral arteries. Gaseous microemboli resulting from a cavitation phenomenon at valve closure were seen as high-intensity transient signals (HITS). To our knowledge, this is the first report of microemboli flow visualized in B-mode.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Arteries/diagnostic imaging , Intracranial Embolism/diagnostic imaging , Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial/methods , Aged , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Neurological disorders are rare complications of foam sclerotherapy. Visual disturbances and headache are the most commonly reported events and are thought to be equivalent to migraine with aura. Exceptionally, strokes have been reported. Papillary fibroelastoma is a rare cardiac tumor, which may embolize in cerebral arteries. We report the case of a patient in whom neurological disorders occurred during a session of foam sclerotherapy, and led to the discovery of a cardiac fibroelastoma.
