====== Embolism ======

An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, which may be a [[blood clot]], fat globule, gas bubble or foreign material in the bloodstream. This can cause a blockage in a blood vessel.

Such a blockage (vascular occlusion) may affect a part of the body distanced from the actual site of the embolism. This is in contrast to a [[thrombus]], which causes a blockage at the site of origin.

It was not until the mid-nineteenth century, however, that the contributions of [[Rudolf Ludwig Karl Virchow]], including his descriptions of the phenomena he called "[[embolism]]" and "[[thrombosis]]" as well as the origins of [[ischemia]], changed the understanding of [[stroke]]. 

see [[Air embolism]]

see [[Fat embolism]]

see [[Pulmonary embolism]]

see [[Septic embolism]]