An embolus (/ˈɛmbələs/;[1] pl.: emboli; from the Greek ἔμβολος "wedge", "plug") is an unattached mass that travels through the bloodstream and is capable of creating blockages. When an embolus occludes a blood vessel, it is called an embolism or embolic event.[2] There are a number of different types of emboli, including blood clots, cholesterol plaque or crystals, fat globules, gas bubbles, and foreign bodies, which can result in different types of embolisms.
The term is distinct from embolism and thromboembolism, which may be consequences of an embolus, as discussed below.[3]
The term was coined in 1848 by Rudolf Virchow as part of his foundational research into blood clots.[4][5]
- ^ "embolus". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Kumar V.; Abbas A.K.; Fausto N. Pathologic Basis of Disease.
- ^ "Medical Definition of Embolus". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ Hellemans, Alexander; Bryan Bunch (1988). The Timetables of Science. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 317. ISBN 0-671-62130-0.
- ^ Virchow, Rudolf, 1821-1902. (1998). Thrombosis and emboli (1846-1856). Canton, Mass: Science History Publications. ISBN 0-88135-113-X. OCLC 37534011.
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