Cholesterol Embolization Syndrome: An Increasing But Still Underdiagnosed Disease

Cholesterol embolization syndrome is a multisystem disease resulting from cholesterol crystal embolization to many organs, including the kidney, skin, brain, eye, gastrointestinal tract and extremities. Vascular surgery, vascular radiological interventions, thrombolytic therapy and anticoagulation have been detected as triggering factors. Cholesterol atheromatous embolism is a common, but often unrecognized problem due to the difficulties of the diagnosis, absence of effective therapeutic regimen and high mortality rate. Because of the population at risk for cholesterol embolism is increasing and the disease is frequently iatrogenic in origin, we should expect to detect cholesterol embolism more frequent as a cause of acute renal failure and other clinical manifestations of the disease in future. In this review we focused on the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and therapeutic options of cholesterol embolization syndrome.