CHOLESTEROL-EMBOLISM - DIAGNOSIS BY ENDOSCOPY

A case report is presented, concerning a 68-year-old woman, with gastr o-intestinal complaints, six weeks after an aortic arteriography. On g astroscopy a duodenal ulcer was found and multiple purple discolourati ons. Biopsies show that these discolourations were caused by cholester ol-emboli. As the patient's complaints resided quickly after treatment for duodenal ulcer, the cholesterol-emboli can be seen as incidental findings. The gastroscopical biopsies were an important clue to the di agnosis of the cause of the rapid progressive renal failure in this pa tient.