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 Septic embolism