[Extravasation of contrast medium after carotid stent with brain infarction symptoms]

Abstract

Angioplasty, with or without stent placement, as a carotid revascularisation technique, has become an alternative treatment for carotid stenosis, it being considered under certain circumstances the treatment of choice. The main concern about this technique is the distal embolisation during the procedure, while other, less frequent, complícations have also been described such as dissection, vasospasm or even arterial rupture. Some of the infrequent complications include the hyperperfusion syndrome, and, more exceptionally, cases of extravasation of the contrast medium. We present the case of a patient who was subjected to angioplasty and stent insertion due to carotid stenosis with signs of calcification who suffered a stroke-like disorder in her right medial brain artery as a consequence of the extravasation of contrast medium after the rupture of the angioplasty balloon, a situation which has never been described in the literature before.