Illustration copyright 2000 by Nucleus
Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.nucleusinc.com
A thrombus is a blood clot that forms in a
vein.
An embolus is anything that travels through
the blood vessels until it reaches a vessel that is too small to let it pass.
When this happens, the blood flow is stopped by the embolus. An embolus is
often a small piece of a blood clot that breaks off (thromboembolus). It may
also be fat, air, amniotic fluid, a tumor, or a foreign substance such as talc,
iodine, cotton, or a tiny piece of catheter tube.
ByHealthwise Staff Primary Medical ReviewerE. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Specialist Medical ReviewerJeffrey S. Ginsberg, MD - Hematology
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