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Embolism
Embolism = obstruction of a downstream
blood vessel by a solid, liquid or gaseous mass (embolus)
which has entered the circulation upstream.
Emboli may include:
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air bubbles
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nitrogen or helium bubbles
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fat globules
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tissues, e.g. intervertebral disc material
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neoplastic cells
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parasites, bacteria or fungi
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fragments of thrombi (thromboemboli)
A saddle thromboembolus in the terminal aorta of a cat with cardiomyopathy.
The thromboembolus is a detached fragment from an upstream thrombus, most
likely located in the left atrium.
Lipid emboli within a pulmonary artery in a human. Lipid emboli are
always microscopic in size.
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