Pulmonary embolism and renal artery thrombosis in a patient with patent foramen ovale.

Background And Aim: Paradoxical embolism is a rare condition in which a thrombus migrates from the venous system to the arterial circulation, usually through a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Pulmonary embolism (PE) and isolated occlusion of one renal artery has been seldom reported.

Methods: We describe a case of a 47-year old white man with a one-month history of exertional dyspnea who was admitted to our hospital for  severe pain in the right lumbar region.