Acute superior mesenteric arterial thromboembolic occlusion-catheter directed thrombolysis-be on time, still be cautious!

Abstract

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is one of the major life-threatening emergencies which require immediate attention and treatment. The most common cause of AMI is superior mesenteric artery (SMA) occlusion secondary to an embolic phenomenon. We present a 55-year-old gentleman with acute SMA thromboembolism, treated by catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) that helped in avoiding a major surgery. A 55-year-old male, with known diabetes, hypertension and atrial fibrillation, presented with acute abdominal pain and found to have SMA thromboembolism on contrast computed tomography (CT) abdomen. As there were no evidences of bowel ischemia clinically and on the CT imaging, endovascular CDT was performed following which the patient improved and discharged after 10 days of hospital stay. Timely endovascular intervention in appropriate patient population with acute mesenteric arterial thromboembolic occlusion can help avoid major surgeries, reduce the extent of non-viable bowel and decrease the resultant significant morbidity.