1/8. cholesterol embolism in a patient with inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm.A 66-year-old man whose renal function had progressively deteriorated had an elevated blood pressure and also was found to have an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Blood examination revealed that he had eosinophilia. livedo reticularis of the toes developed, and a skin biopsy specimen showed embolization of atheromatous plaques in the arterioles of the subcutaneous tissue. Progressive enlargement of inflammatory AAA may have dislodged the atheromatous plaques, resulting in cholesterol embolism.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/8. Renal cholesterol embolic disease effectively treated with steroid pulse therapy.A 65-year-old man developed acute renal failure with eosinophilia two weeks after a coronary bypass operation and angiography. Renal biopsy revealed cholesterol crystal embolism (CCE) in glomeruli and arterioles. Low-dose corticosteroid therapy failed to recover the renal function; further deterioration of renal function and peripheral ischemic symptoms such as livedo reticularis and blue toes occurred. However, steroid pulse therapy successfully attenuated CCE-induced renal failure and eosinophilia. It is suggested that steroid pulse therapy might be effective to treat CCE-induced renal failure and eosinophilia could be a useful marker for activity of CCE.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/8. Renal cholesterol embolism: analysis of two spontaneous autopsy cases.Two cases of spontaneous cholesterol embolism, which followed different clinical courses, acute and chronic renal failure, are presented and histopathological lesions are compared. Both cases were diagnosed as cholesterol embolism post-mortem. Case 1 (a 66-year-old man) had acute onset of illness with fever, leucocytosis and renal failure, diagnosed as vasculitis, and died of rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Case 2 (an 84-year-old man) had eosinophilia of unknown aetiology for 7 years with intermittent worsening of renal function and died of sepsis. Case 1 had diffuse cholesterol crystal emboli in the interlobular arteries and arterioles of the kidney, but case 2 had patchy cholesterol emboli in the interlobular arteries of the kidney. The aorta of case 1 was diffusely ulcerated, which is in contrast to that of case 2, who had limited ulceration in thoracic aorta, which might have contributed to the long duration of illness. Immunohistochemically, the number of macrophages and T cells that infiltrated around cholesterol emboli in the arteries was more in case 1 (macrophages 27.7, T cells 36.1/mm(2)) than in case 2 (2.7, 1.38/mm(2)). Focal interstitial inflammation occurred in both cases. In case 1, marked tubulitis was observed. Case 2 had rather severe atrophy of the tubules and fibrotic interstitium where mast cells were rich (31.9/mm(2)). The number of B cells and eosinophils was few in case 2 (11.35, 0.7/mm(2)) compared with case 1 (101.9, 16.15/mm(2)). These results suggest that in acute lesions of renal cholesterol embolism, macrophages and T cells accumulate around cholesterol crystals and cause tubulointerstitial inflammatory lesions with other inflammatory cells. In chronic lesions, macrophages, T cells and mast cells are the major inflammatory cells present in the interstitium.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/8. cholesterol crystal embolization diagnosed on bladder transurethral resection.cholesterol crystal embolization (CCE) is a severe systemic disorder caused by vascular migration of cholesterol crystals originating from ulcerative atherosclerotic plaques located in large arteries. We report 2 cases of CCE diagnosed on bladder transurethral resection in 2 men aged 94 and 72 years. Both patients had atherosclerosis disease. One patient had been treated by heparin 1 month before for pulmonary embolism and the other had had a coronary angiography and bypass graft surgery 5 months before for silent myocardial infarction. One patient presented with hematuria and the other with acute renal failure. cystoscopy showed multiple papillary tumors of the bladder wall. Bladder transurethral resections showed transitional cell carcinoma with cholesterol crystals occluding the lumen of small arterioles in the submucosa. Eight cases of CCE in the bladder wall have been reported in the literature in 3 women and 5 men aged 56 to 79 years. cholesterol crystal embolization is often discovered in the bladder wall on necropsy specimens. Only 2 cases have been fortuitously discovered on bladder transurethral resection performed for transitional cell carcinoma. cholesterol crystal embolization in the bladder wall is often a marker of severe disease although the evolution is quite favorable in our patients, still alive 1 and 2 years after diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/8. Systemic cholesterol embolization syndrome associated with myeloperoxidase-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody.A 75-year-old man was transferred to our department because of development of severe renal impairment after coronary artery bypass grafting. Hemodialysis was initiated for postsurgical oliguria and lung congestion. On transfer, he showed systemic purpura rashes and diffuse blue mottlings on his toes with marked eosinophilia and an elevated level of c-reactive protein. Cutaneous biopsy revealed cholesterol crystal embolism and leukocytoclastic vasculitis in dermal arterioles. Myeloperoxidase-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody titer was increased. Upon oral corticosteroid therapy following intravenous pulse steroid therapy, the purpura dramatically diminished, renal function improved, and hemodialysis was discontinued. Active treatment with corticosteroids may be effective for cholesterol embolization syndrome, particularly when clinical and laboratory manifestations mimic systemic vasculitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/8. A case of cholesterol embolism confirmed by skin biopsy and successfully treated with statins and steroids.Although cholesterol embolism syndrome was recognized as a clinicopathologic entity more than 50 years ago, it is attracting growing attention recently. It is a multisystemic disorder in which cholesterol crystals released from atherosclerotic plaques obstruct small arterioles, resulting in local ischemia and end-organ damage. There are no established treatments, and with the limited treatment options available, it is important to make the diagnosis as early as possible. We present the case of a 68-year-old man with cholesterol embolism who had a few fluttering atheromas in the aorta, as demonstrated by transesophageal ultrasonography. The diagnosis was confirmed by skin biopsy, and treatment with statins and steroids proved effective, as renal failure progressively improved. This case emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and shows the possible therapeutic effects of statins and steroids for patients with this syndrome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/8. Reversible encephalopathy associated with cholesterol embolism syndrome: magnetic resonance imaging and pathological findings.We describe a patient found to have acute diffuse and reversible encephalopathy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) associated with cholesterol emboli syndrome (CES). The initial MRI showed extensive white matter, basal ganglia and cortical damage without evidence of brain infarction. Dramatic clinical and MRI improvement was observed with corticosteroids. Pathologically, cholesterol crystal emboli were found in the lumen of skin and brain arteries and were associated with varying degrees of inflammation of the arteriole wall. This case suggests that CES may be responsible for extensive, acute and reversible encephalopathy underlined by an inflammation of brain arteries.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/8. Embolic stroke by compression maneuver during transcranial Doppler sonography.BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Embolic complications during ultrasound examinations are a rare cause of neurological deficits. The present case documents the occurrence of embolism by a nonobstructive compression maneuver during transcranial Doppler examination, resulting in a minor stroke. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 63-year-old man suffered from recurrent transient ischemic attacks. Duplex sonography showed a small echogenic plaque at the right carotid bifurcation. During transcranial Doppler studies with a reverberating compression maneuver of the right common carotid artery low in the neck, multiple emboli signals were detected, and the patient developed a left-sided hemiparesis with slurred speech. Funduscopy revealed cholesterol emboli in the inferior temporal arteriole of the right eye. These findings suggested embolization as the cause of the stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Compression maneuvers should not be performed in patients with recent neurological symptoms, even in the case of only small lesions in the extracranial carotid territory.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = arteriole (Clic here for more details about this article) |