Intravascular mucinosis with mucin emboli and thrombosis accompanying adenocarcinomas

Three cases of adenocarcinoma that were complicated by nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis and disseminated intravascular coagulation are described. In two of these cases mucin was demonstrable within vascular channels as well as within the thrombotic vegetations of the cardiac valves. This intravascular mucin was also responsible for vascular occlusion with resultant infarction in such organs as heart and brain. Intravascular mucin of this magnitude has not been previously recorded and mucinous accumulations behaving as thromboemboli with infarcts have not been heretofore described.