Cortical Blindness and Ataxia Complicating Bronchial Artery Embolization for Severe Hemoptysis

Complications of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) are uncommon. A 37-year-old patient with pulmonary tuberculosis received bronchial artery embolization because of severe hemoptysis. The bilateral bronchial arteries and left internal mammary artery were embolized using a gelatin sponge, and the patient exhibited occipital blindness and ataxia after the second BAE. The dissolvable gelatin sponge possibly entered the posterior circulation, resulting in the multiple infarctions in the bilateral occipital lobes and cerebellum. Because of the bad prognosis and the difficulty for curability, this kind of complication should be recognized in a timely manner and carefully avoided by the interventional radiologists carrying out the BAE.