Brain Embolism Symptoms and Clinical Manifestations

Brain embolism can present with a variety of clinical symptoms, depending on the location and severity of the blockage. One of the most common signs is contralateral hemiplegia — paralysis affecting the side of the body opposite to the affected brain hemisphere. This is often accompanied by contralateral sensory deficits and visual field loss, known as homonymous hemianopia.

Neurological Deficits in Major Artery Blockage

When the main artery of the dominant hemisphere becomes blocked, patients may experience significant language and cognitive impairments. These can include aphasia — difficulty in understanding or producing speech — as well as agraphia, which is the loss of the ability to write, and alexia, or the inability to read. These symptoms reflect the disruption of critical language centers in the brain.

Severe Cases and Complications

In situations where the infarct area is large, the condition can rapidly progress to more dangerous complications. Increased intracranial pressure may develop, potentially leading to altered consciousness, coma, and even brain herniation — a life-threatening condition where brain tissue is displaced across structures within the skull. In the most severe cases, brain embolism can be fatal.

Additional Neurological Symptoms

Other notable symptoms include vertigo, nystagmus (involuntary eye movement), diplopia (double vision), and crossed paralysis or sensory disturbances — where one side of the head and the opposite side of the body are affected. These signs often point to brainstem involvement.

Movement and Cranial Nerve Dysfunction

Patients may also exhibit ataxia — a lack of muscle coordination — and in extreme cases, quadriplegia can occur. Ophthalmoplegia, or paralysis of the eye muscles, and miosis — constriction of the pupils — are also common. Additionally, cranial nerve dysfunction may manifest, involving nerves such as the facial nerve, abducens nerve, trigeminal nerve, vagus nerve, and hypoglossal nerve, leading to a range of neurological impairments.