Postoperative Acute Cerebral Infarction Occurring after General Anesthesia

Abstract

The common predisposing risk factors for perioperative stroke include: previous stroke, atrial fibrillation, old age (> 75 years), carotid stenosis, and diabetes mellitus. An endoscopic sinus surgery was performed in a 49-year-old male with chronic paranasal sinusitis and nasal polyps. The vital signs, physical and laboratory examinations, and electrocardiography on admission were within the normal limit. Anesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide in oxygen and 6% desflurane. The operation and anesthesia were uneventful with the exception of transient intraoperative hypotension. The patient recovered fully from the anesthesia (modified Aldrete score: 10) in the recovery room. However, he developed right arm weakness and dysarthria in the general ward 7 hours after the operation. We report a rare case of multifocal acute cerebral infarctions found on the postoperative magnetic resonance imaging in a noncardiac surgical patient.