Cecal gangrene due to sequential cholesterol emboli occurred. The patient described demonstrated several other reported clinical manifestations of cholesterol embolization, ie, hypertension, renal failure, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
An isolated occurrence of cholesterol embolization may pathologically result in congestion of villi, mucosal petechiae or infarcts, minute hemorrhage and hemorrhagic erosions within the gastrointestinal tract. However, the sequential occurrence of emboli over a prolonged period of time can eventually compromise the circulation to a segment of the gastrointestinal tract causing ischemic necrosis.