Pulmonary and systemic embolism after deliberate intravenous fluorocarbon administration.

After intravenous injection of 0.1 ml Fluorocarbon (FC) into the caudal vein of rats clear droplets which are reminiscent of gas emboli appear in the pulmonary and cerebral arteries. These droplets cannot be stained with Azan, haematoxylin-eosin, Nile blue sulfate, Sudan black B, and Sudan III in Paraplast embedded or frozen sections. Gas chromatography of affected lung tissue reveals a high concentration of FC. The clear droplets are the histological correlates of FC emboli which lead to haemorrhagic lung infarction and ischaemic brain infarcts. After intralienal injection FC induces haemorrhagic infarcts of the spleen near the injection site and massive embolization of the intrahepatic portal veins with consequent liver cell necrosis. FC droplets are phagocytosed by hepatic sinusoidal lining cells. Due to the absence of a specific method for identifying FC embolization of renal vessels is difficult to assess.