SPONTANEOUS CHOLESTEROL EMBOLIZATION - A RARELY REPORTED ENTITY

Cholesterol embolization sometimes occurs after invasive procedures in volving manipulation of the aorta or its major branches, and less comm only occurs after thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction . Rarer still is spontaneous cholesterol embolization, a case of which we now report. Our patient experienced peripheral embolization, the o rigin of which was traced to the infrarenal aortic segment and the com mon iliac vessels. Aortoiliac reconstruction was successful; we believ e that surgical management of this condition should be performed in se lected cases.