Arterial Emboli and Malignant Disease

Abstract

Four cases of Arterial Emboli are reported. Association is suggested be tween peripheral arterial emboli and malignant disease. No definite mecha nism for this association has been established but a malignancy-induced alteration of the clotting mechanism is postulated.

In any general hospital, peripheral arterial embolization is not an uncom mon event. Immediate therapy since the introduction of the Fogarty catheter, has become fairly standardized and has been very successful in salvaging ischemic limbs.

The long-range outlook, however, is dependent on the identification of the source of emboli and the institution of appropriate corrective or preventive measures.

In many clinical reviews of peripheral arterial embolization, the probable source of the embolus could be reasonably established in 90% of the cases. Nevertheless, in each series there remains 10% of cases in which no source of embolus could be identified. ¹

Over the past two years at The Memorial Hospital we have accumulated a series of patients with peripheral arterial embolization and all of whom had proven malignancies.

We are presenting this series as a postulated causative association between peripheral arterial embolization and the malignant state.