Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Cholesterol emboli syndrome physical examination
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Physical Examination
Physical Examination
- Chest pain due to myocardial ischemia
- Paradoxical embolus: presence of patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defect
- Other rare manifestations include retinal lesions, splenic infarcts, prostatitis, orchitis, hemorrhagic cystitis
- Fever
Abdomen
- Abdominal pain
- Occult blood positive stool due to ischemia of the stomach, small intestine and colon
- Less common manifestations include ischemic pancreatitis, focal liver cell necrosis and acalculous necrotizing cholecystitis.
- Renal failure
- Acute or step-wise worsening function
- Patients may demonstrate focal segmental glomerulosclerosis may be seen, presenting with progressive renal insufficiency, sometimes with significant proteinuria.
Neurologic
- Neurologic abnormalities
- Mononeuritis multiplex
- CNS involvement
Skin
- Cutaneous involvement – cutaneous involvement increases the likelihood of accurate diagnosis.
- Blue toes / nail bed infarctions
- Livedo reticularis – present in up to 50%
- Cyanosis, purpura, tender nodules, ulcerations, gangrene
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]