Introduction
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of death worldwide
(1). The risk factors are well
described and classified by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in
three categories : Strong, moderate and weak risk factors
(2). The strong risk factors
included generally : trauma of the lower limb or spinal cord, hip or
knee replacement, hospitalization for heart failure or atrial
fibrillation/flutter, myocardial infarction within previous three months
and previous venous thromboembolism (2). Even if pulmonary embolism is
rare in young adult, the causes are the same as in the adults (3). The
recurrence of thromboembolism is generally associated to malignancy or
thrombophilia (4). The most
frequent occult malignancies during PE involved the lung,
gastrointestinal tract, breast, and uterus (5). This is the reason why
the screening of these cancers is systematic in the management of
pulmonary embolism (2). Association between brain tumors and pulmonary
embolism is rare. Some cases have been described mainly in perioperative
period for craniectomy and the risk factors included : older age, motor
deficit, high grade gliomas (6,7). We describe a rare case of recurrent
pulmonary embolism in a young man with occult brain tumor. This case is
important because it reinforces the need of critical and
multidisciplinary assessment of thromboembolism in young patients before
considering it as idiopathic.