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thrombus
A blood clot that has formed inside an intact blood vessel – as distinct from one that has form to seal the wall of a blood vessel after injury (see blood clotting).
A thrombus is life-threatening if it grows to obstruct the blood supply to an organ such as the heart or brain. Even a thrombus in a less vital blood vessel can be dangerous because it can produce gangrene in part of an organ or extremity served by the blood vessel, or lead to embolism, in which a fragment of the thrombus breaks off and is carried to obstruct the blood circulation elsewhere.
Related entries
• deep vein thrombosis• stroke
• thrombocythemia and thrombocytosis
• thrombocytopenia
• thrombosis
• varicose veins
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