Thalamic infarction following a Russell's viper bite.

Abstract

We report a case of a Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) bite involving a 55-year-old male who developed a bilateral thalamic infarction. Although the coagulopathy was controlled within twenty-four hours, the patient became restless and disoriented. Due to the initial prolonged clotting time, we suspected an intracranial bleed. T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed bilateral infarcts of the thalamus. Cerebral infarction secondary to snake envenomation has been reported before, but to our knowledge bilateral involvement of the thalamus has not been reported.