虽然动脉粥样硬化比较常见，但是胆固醇栓子是少见的，至少是大多情况下不明显的。图示肾动脉形成了这种胆固醇栓子。该病人有严重的溃疡形成，易碎的粥样斑块，同时也做了会增加血栓形成危险的血管造影术。
Despite the frequency of aortic atherosclerosis, cholesterol emboli are rare, or at least insignficant most of the time. Seen here in a renal artery branch are cholesterol clefts of such an embolus. This patient had severe ulcerative, friable atheromatous plaques and had undergone angiography, which increases the risk for such emboli.