What's the difference between a thrombus and a blood clot?

[BlondeCookie]

I've always thought of a thrombus as a blood clot that forms within the vessel. Wrong. At least I think I'm wrong. I just read that a blood clot lacks platelets. How? Can anyone explain that? I thought that a blood clot is, by definition, a platelet & fibrin plug.

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[GujuMD]

thrombus- intravascular, has platelets, fibrin, RBC, WBC- Lines of Zahn.

Blood clot: could be intra or extravascular, usually a post-mortem finding. It LACKS platelets, and therefore no lines of zahn. not sure why no platelets.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Just a guess but perhaps because of ATP requirements or denaturing of clotting factors and therefore clotting.