Atheromatous embolization to the skin.

Atheromatous emboli were found in arterioles in the dermis of the ear of a 74-year-old man. This distinctive form of arteriosclerosis disease is well recognized as a cause of renal failure in nephropathology, but its significance is not sufficiently appreciated in dermatopathology. Atheromatous emboli may cause infarcts in the skin and biopsy of the skin may be a reliable method for diagnosis of systemic atheromatous emboli.