TETRAPLEGIA DURING FAT-EMBOLISM

This is a report of two cases of tetraplegia complicating fat embolism after fracture of long bones. In the first case, a 26 year-old male s ustained fractures of femur and tibia. One day after admission, the pa tient became comatose (Glasgow coma score = 6) with dyspnaea and petec hiae present on the anterior chest wall. In second case, a 22 year-old man with a fracture of tibia and humerus, suffered two days after adm ission from similar signs of fat embolism (dyspnaea, Glasgow score com a = 6, petechiae). A tetraplegia occurred after 7 days in the first pa tient and 6 days in the second. No lesions were visible on brain CT sc an. Magnetic resonance imaging showed relative high-intensity areas on T2 weighted views. The outcome at three weeks was favourable, without neurologic sequelae.