ABSTRACT
Thrombosis is the commonest cause of mortality in the Western world. Thrombotic disease can be broadly classified as that arising in the venous system (at low blood flow and pressure) and in the arterial system (at high flow and pressure). A thrombus is a deposit arising from the constituents of the blood on the lining of the heart or blood vessels. Thrombi occur anywhere in the circulation, and an occlusive thrombus occupies the lumen of the vessel resulting in cessation of flow and tissue damage distal to the occlusion. Virchow, as early as 1856, proposed that three major factors determine the site and extent of thrombus. Specifically, the mechanical effects in which blood flow is predominant, the constituents of the blood, and, finally, the vessel wall. The interactions of these three factors determine the type of thrombus formed.
