Paradoxical fat embolism after intramedullary rodding: a case report.

Following intramedullary rodding of two long-bone fractures, a twenty-year-old woman developed the clinical picture of fat embolism syndrome with severe neurological involvement. Corroborating evidence suggested paradoxical embolization of fat as the precipitating cause of this neurologic deterioration. The suspected pathophysiology of this event is discussed.