Surgical procedure of segmentectomy as a possible cause of postoperative cerebral embolism: a case report

Abstract

Background: Cerebral embolism after lobectomy is a life-threatening complication during the early postoperative period. However, it is unclear if cerebral embolism can develop after segmentectomy. Case presentation: We experienced a case of a 37-year-old man who demonstrated early symptom of acute ischemic stroke in early postoperative period after right upper posterior segmentectomy and performed intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IAMT) successfully. Conclusions: Long and irregular pulmonary vein stump (PVS) and endothelial injury caused by surgical procedure may lead to cerebral embolism after segmentectomy. We believe that doing preoperative pulmonary vascular assessment and using appropriate surgical procedure may reduce the rate of cerebral embolism.