Cholesterol emboli in a colonic polyp

Cholesterol emboli usually occur after vascular surgery or angiographic procedures in patients with extensive arteriosclerosis. Atheroemboli also occur spontaneously in patients receiving anticoagulant drugs. Ischemic colitis, gastric hemorrhage, and acute pancreatitis are the more common gastrointestinal manifestations of cholesterol emboli. Here I report, for apparently the first time, cholesterol emboli in a colonic polyp.

Cholesterol emboli syndrome following cardiac catheterization

Cholesterol emboli syndrome should always be considered in an elderly patient with acute renal failure or cutaneous lesions following an invasive vascular procedure or surgery. Laboratory findings that suggest atheroemboli include eosinophilia, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocytosis, and anemia. Diagnosis is made by biopsy of the affected organ, and treatment is supportive. Patients usually die of multisystem failure.