Deep Vein Thrombosis Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot (thrombus), which can partially or completely block a blood vessel. If a blood clot forms in a deeper vein, the condition is called deep vein thrombosis. Although deep vein…
Pulmonary Embolism Pulmonary embolism usually occurs as a serious complication of deep vein thrombosis. A blood clot detaches from the wall of a deep vein and moves into the bloodstream, through the heart, and through the pulmonary artery to the…
Thrombophlebitis Phlebitis is inflammation of a vein, usually caused by infection or injury. When phlebitis occurs, blood flow through the roughened, swollen vein may become sluggish, encouraging blood clots (thrombi) to develop and adhere to the walls of the vein.…
Varicose Veins Varicose veins are veins directly beneath the skin that have become stretched and twisted over time. This condition usually occurs in the legs when veins lose their elasticity and widen, causing the edges of the valves inside the…
Arterial Embolism An embolus is usually a fragment of clotted blood or a piece of a fatty deposit (plaque) that is carried along in the bloodstream. The embolus may be very small, but, because the arteries branch into smaller and…
Constrictive Pericarditis Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the membrane that surrounds the heart. The course of constrictive pericarditis is different from that of acute pericarditis. Constrictive pericarditis results from long-term inflammation, frequently of unknown cause, but sometimes from a…
Acute Pericarditis Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the membrane that surrounds the heart. When the pericardium becomes inflamed, fluid can collect in the space between the membrane and the heart (called pericardial effusion). The inflammation in acute pericarditis is…
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Defective cells in the heart muscle, possibly as a result of a congenital (present at birth) abnormality, may cause the heart muscle to weaken. To compensate for the weakened heart muscle, the walls of the heart may thicken.…
