A Case of Ischemic Stroke Following Bee Venom Acupuncture

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 18(3); 2000 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2000;18(3): 356-358.

벌침 시술후 발생한 허혈성 뇌졸중 1예

박정호 ·정명근 ·이태경 ·안무영 ·방차옥, 박정호 ·정명근 ·이태경 ·안무영 ·방차옥

순천향대학교 의과대학 신경과학교실

A Case of Ischemic Stroke Following Bee Venom Acupuncture

Jeong-Ho Park, M.D., Myung-Keun Jung, M.D., Tae-Kyeong Lee, M.D., Moo-Young Ahn, M.D., Cha-Ok Bang, M.D.

Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Chunan, Korea

Abstract

The effects of bee venom on humans are variable from local to lethal reactions. However, ischemic stroke following bee venom acupuncture has rarely been reported. We report a case of a person who developed an ischemic stroke after bee venom acupuncture. The patient, who had a small cortical infarction one year ago, experienced anaphylatic symp-toms several minutes after bee venom acupuncture. Shortly thereafter, he became confused and had aggravation of the left hemiparesis. A brain MR T2-weighted image showed a high signal intensity lesion on the right anterior border zone. A cerebral angiography revealed a right proximal internal carotid artery occlusion with collateral circulation via an anterior communicating artery. The presumed mechanism in this case was a hemodynamic infarction due to the bee venom induced anaphylactic shock. We alert the possibility for another disaster caused by inadvertent bee venom acupuncture for stroke patients. J Korean Neurol Assoc 18(3):356~358, 2000 Key Words : Bee venom acupuncture, Borderzone infarction, Anaphylaxis