Clinical manifestation and imaging diagnostic analysis of fat embolism syndrome
10.12200/j.issn.1003-0034.20221304
- VernacularTitle:脂肪栓塞综合征的临床表现及影像诊断分析
- Author:
Qian DAN
1
;
Hai-Yan WU
;
Yun-Jie HUANG
;
Fei LUO
;
Xu-Xue LI
Author Information
1. 四川省骨科医院医学影像科,四川 成都 610041
- Keywords:
Fat embolism syndrome;
Clinical manifestation;
Imaging
- From:
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology
2024;37(3):306-310
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To explore characteristics of clinical and imaging findings in patients with fat embolism syndrome.Methods From January 2021 to October 2022,clinical manifestations of 13 patients with fat embolism due to fracture or or-thopaedic surgery were retrospectively analyzed,including 11 males and 2 females,aged from 17 to 60 years old.Mental and respiratory abnormalities and changes in vital signs occurred after admission or after surgery,and patient's chest and brain imaging results were abnormal.The patient's mental and respiratory abnormalities,vital signs,chest and brain imaging results were continuously monitored.Results The main clinical manifestations of fat embolism syndrome were abnormal pulmonary respiration in 13 patients,abnormal central nervous function in 7 patients,and spotted rash in 2 patients.Chest CT showed dif-fuse distribution of ground glass shadows in 13 patients,and severe symptoms were"snowstorm".Nine patients with ground glass fusion consolidation,5 patients with multiple nodules and 4 patients accompanied by bilateral pleural effusion.Head CT findings of 5 patients were negative,and head MRI findings of 1 patient showed multiple T1WI low signal,T2WI high signal shadow,DWI high signal shadow,and"starry sky sign"in basal ganglia,radiative crown,hemioval center,thalamus,frontal parietal cortex and subcortex.Conclusion Fat embolism syndrome has a high mortality rate.Clinical manifestations of respira-tory system and nervous system are not specific,and the skin spot rash has a characteristic manifestation.The"blizzard"sign is the specific manifestation of chest X-ray and CT examination of fat embolism,and the"starry sky"sign is the typical manifesta-tion of diffusion-weighted sequence of brain MRI examination of fat embolism.
