Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Sep 8;11(9):e7838.
doi: 10.1002/ccr3.7838. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Thrombotic microangiopathy after traumatic brain injury: A case report and review of the literature

Xavier Van Meerbeeck  1 , Leen Janssen  1 , Rowena Vleut  2 , Philip Verdonck  3 , Alain Gadisseur  4 , Rudi De Paep  1 , Walter Verbrugghe  1 , Philippe Jorens  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Thrombotic microangiopathy after traumatic brain injury: A case report and review of the literature

Xavier Van Meerbeeck et al. Clin Case Rep. .

Abstract

Key clinical message: This case report supports that trauma can rarely cause thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Early recognition is important due to a high mortality of untreated TMA, but diagnosis can be delayed by attributing lab abnormalities as due to blood loss.

Abstract: Major trauma can provoke coagulopathy, ranging from hypo- to hypercoagulation. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), characterized by hemolytic anemia, renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and intravascular hemolysis, results in bleeding tendency but also microvascular thrombosis. We report a rare case of isolated traumatic brain injury leading to TMA treated with plasmapheresis.

Keywords: DIC; coagulation; plasmapheresis; thrombotic microangiopathy; trauma, neurotrauma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Timeline of events.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Duque P, Mora L, Levy JH, Schochl H. Pathophysiological response to trauma‐induced coagulopathy: a comprehensive review. Anesth Analg. 2020;130:654‐664. - PubMed
    1. Ho VK, Wong J, Martinez A, Winearls J. Trauma‐induced coagulopathy: mechanisms and clinical management. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2022;51:40‐48. - PubMed
    1. McFarlane PA, Bitzan M, Broome C, et al. Making the correct diagnosis in thrombotic Microangiopathy: a narrative review. Can J Kidney Health Dis. 2021;8:20543581211008707. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hossain MA, Ahmed N, Gupta V, et al. Post‐traumatic thrombotic microangiopathy: what trauma surgeons need to know? Chinese J Traumatol. 2021;24:69‐74. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ikegami K, Yamagishi T, Tajima J, et al. Post‐traumatic thrombotic microangiopathy following pelvic fracture treated with transcatheter arterial embolization: a case report. J Med Case Reports. 2018;12:216. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources