[Tetraplegia in 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 sustained fractures of femur and tibia. One day after admission, the patient became comatose (Glasgow coma score = 6) with dyspnaea and petechiae 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 admission from similar signs of fat embolism (dyspnaea, Glasgow score coma = 6, petechiae). A tetraplegia occurred after 7 days in the first patient and 6 days in the second. No lesions were visible on brain CT scan. Magnetic resonance imaging showed relative high-intensity areas on T2 weighted views. The outcome at three weeks was favourable, without neurologic sequelae.