Acute type A Intramural Hematoma with cerebral ischemia treated with
tPA.
Abstract
A 68-year-old female patient presented to the emergency department with
left-sided weakness. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was started for
stroke, however, the patient was later found to have a type A intramural
hematoma (IMH). TPA was subsequently discontinued. She was
hemodynamically stable and was treated medically due to the risk of
bleeding from tPA. Fortunately, the patient had a complete neurological
recovery. She underwent an aortic repair 6 weeks after initial
presentation and was discharged home without any complications. Aortic
dissection and IMH should always be in the differential diagnosis when
treating patients with signs of cerebral ischemia. This is the first
documented case of accidental administration of tPA in a patient with
intramural hematoma (IMH), and illustrates a successful case of delayed
surgical repair for high risk IMH in patients recovering from cerebral
ischemia.