Abstract
A 73-year-old woman underwent a left upper lobectomy for lung cancer. On postoperative day 3, she developed cerebral infarction. She was transferred to our stroke center because consciousness disturbance occurred on the 4th day from onset. Computed tomography scans suggested the presence of an embolic stroke mechanism. When evaluating the embolic source, contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography revealed thrombus formation in the stump of the left superior pulmonary vein. We predicted that this left pulmonary vein stump thrombus had caused the cerebral embolism. Thrombus in the stump of the pulmonary vein is a rarely described complication after lung lobe resection. However, it has recently been reported that the occurrence of left pulmonary vein stump thrombi is not as rare as first thought. In addition, the time of onset of such embolic events and of thrombus detection is not only during the perioperative period but also the late postoperative period. Therefore, when there is a medical history of left upper lobe resection, the possibility of cerebral embolism caused by pulmonary vein stump thrombus should be considered.
