Anterior Circulation Stroke Following Snakebite: A Rare Presentation

Abstract

India is estimated to have the highest snakebite mortality in the world. Most fatalities are due to delay in getting the definitive treat ment. Most snakebites are inflicted on the lower limbs of farmers, plantation workers, herdsmen, and hunters in rural areas. The viper is one of India’s most commonly encoun tered poisonous snakes and envenomation following viper bite usually leads to consumption coagulopathy. Clinical characteristics include cellulites, renal failure, hemorrhagic manifestations including pituitary and intracranial hemorrhage. In the setting of viper envenomation, large-vessel thrombosis is a very rare occurrence. Also, bilateral anterior cerebral artery infarction, when unrelated to anatomical abnormalities, surgery or trauma, itself is an exceedingly rare event. The following case is an unusual one of bilateral cerebral infarction in ACA territory in an otherwise healthy individual. Abbreviations: ACA: Anterior cerebral artery; ASV: Anti snake venom; CNS: Central nervous system.