Recent thrombus, coronary artery, photomicrograph, H/E, x10
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Thrombi that form on the arterial side are sometimes called white thrombi, because they have a white appearance grossly, and consist mainly of fibrin. However, it is not unusual for RBCs to be caught in the fibrin, net, and that is what we see microscopically. Here the thrombus occurs in an area of the artery involved with atherosclerotic plaque, which, by itself, occludes perhaps 50% of the luminal area.