[Thrombosis of the ascending aorta--a rare cause for recurrent arterial embolism]

A 41-year-old man suffered 3 episodes of transitory left leg ischemia before he was admitted with right brachial artery embolism. The diagnostic evaluation (i/v DSA, CT Scan) revealed a mass in the ascending aorta which was removed under hypothermic cardiocirculatory arrest. Histologically the mass was shown to be a thrombus adjacent to a arteriosclerotic plaque.