thrombus
Pronunciation: THROM-bus
Blood clot formed within a blood vessel during life, as distinguished from post-mortem clotting.
Full Definition
A thrombus is an intravascular blood clot that forms during life through activation of the coagulation cascade, typically in response to vessel wall injury, blood stasis, or hypercoagulable states (Virchow's triad). Thrombi can be arterial (platelet-rich, white clots) or venous (fibrin-rich, red clots), each requiring different therapeutic approaches. In vascular medicine, thrombus formation can cause vessel occlusion leading to ischemia, or embolization causing downstream complications. The term distinguishes from post-mortem clots and emboli of remote origin.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from embolus, which originates elsewhere and travels to occlude a vessel.
In Context
- "Angiography demonstrated an acute thrombus occluding the superficial femoral artery." — Imaging report
- "The freshly formed thrombus was successfully extracted using mechanical thrombectomy." — Procedure report