A 33-year-old member asked:
If you get a blood clot in the leg, can it cause a stroke (artery)?
4 doctor answers • 11 doctors weighed in
Dr. Jason Huffmananswered
Orthopedic Spine Surgery 25 years experience
Yes: A blood clot in the leg is typically in a vein and if it dislodges it may go to the heart. Most of the time it will pass through the heart and go to the lung. This is known as a pulmonary embolus. In some people it may pass through one side of the heart to the other and then go into the arterial blood system, even to the brain where it may cause a stroke.
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5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. ..answered
Critical Care 25 years experience
Yes possible: An acute DVT causes a pulmonary embolus about 10% of the time, but can cause a stroke if someone has a patent foramen ovale, which is usually not detected. An echocardiogram can show this.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Shadi Abu Halimahanswered
Vascular Surgery 23 years experience
Yes possible: Either you can have hypercoag unable status which means u form clots more than usual or in some patients with a condition called pfo/ patent foramen ovale where right and left heart chambers/ the atriums can connect directly and clots from leg can travel through veins from right to left side of heart and can cause a stroke in a condition called paradoxical embolism.
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5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Joel Gotvaldanswered
Vascular Surgery 27 years experience
Rarely: There is a condition called a paradoxical embolism in which a leg vein blood clot can dislodge from the leg, float up into the hear, & then travel through an abnormal hole in the heart called a patent foramen ovale, then float up into the brain causing a storke. Since you need both a congential defect in the heart, a DVT, and a embolism of the DVT for this to occur, it is possible but not common
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2.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 35-year-old member asked:
What happens if you get a blood clot in the leg (vein), can it cause a stroke (artery)?
2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Bennett Machanicanswered
Neurology 54 years experience
Maybe: If you have thrombophlebitis, a clot could go directly to the lung causing a life threatening pulmonary embolism. But if there is a congenital hole within the heart, such as patent foramen ovale, the embolism can be paroxysmal and go to brain, causing a stroke. Anti-coagulation can be protective in these circumstances.
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3.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
How likely is that a blood clot on a leg causes a stroke?
2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Stephen Southardanswered
Internal Medicine 17 years experience
Quite unlikely: Blood clots in the leg(also known as DVTs) when the move, move towards the heart and tend to settle in the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolus(lung blood clot). It usually takes a transition through an uncommon hole in the heart for a DVT to spread to the brain to cause a stroke. Not impossible but very uncommon.
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3.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Laveen, AZ
A 46-year-old female asked:
Can a blood clot in the leg cause meralgia parathetica?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Robert Hartmananswered
Dermatology 41 years experience
Not likely: The calf is where the most common site for blood clots and meralgia is most common on the thigh. The two entities are not usually connected.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
When you get blood clots in the leg, what are the chances they'll kill you?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Christopher Johnanswered
internal Medicine - Pulmonary Critical Care 47 years experience
Certainly can: Clots in the legs will not kill you.When they move to your lungs however they certainly can.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
I'm just wondering, if you get a blood clot in the leg (vein), can it cause a stroke (artery)?
2 doctor answers • 12 doctors weighed in
Dr. Brian Santinanswered
17 years experience
Rarely: While it is possible for a vein blood clot to travel to the artery side of things, it would have to do this through a hole in the heart, termed an septal defect. This tests to be rare but can be diagnosed by an ultrasound est looking at the heart. I hope this helps.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Dec 31, 2016
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