paradoxic embolus

paradoxic embolus

An embolus that passes through right-to-left cardiac shunts in congenital heart disease in the direction opposite–ie, 'paradoxically', to the blood flow; PE arise from thrombotic material on septic or other vegetations from the right side of heart–or from peripheral veins and pass through a patent foramen ovale into the systemic circulation, circumventing the filtering effect of the pulmonary vessels, potentially causing cerebral abscess Clinical Meningeal irritation–stiff neck, drowsiness, fever, headache, focal signs–eg, aphasia, hemiplegia, jacksonian convulsions, intracranial pressure, coma. See Embolism.