Is there a faster and easier method for assessing the severity of acute mesenteric ischemia?

Abstract

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is a potentially fatal abdominal emergency. The estimation of the severity of AMI is of great importance since changes in disease severity may have different impacts on the treatment options. This study aims to define laboratory and radiological parameters that can successfully predict the severity of AMI. Data from 100 patients who were treated conservatively and underwent an operation with a diagnosis of AMI between the years 2010 and 2019 were reviewed. The patients were divided into 3 groups as those treated with a conservative approach (group 1), those with partial intestinal ischemia (group 2), and those with complete intestinal ischemia (group 3) according to the pathology results. Laboratory findings of the patients were recorded and matched with radiological findings. The white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil (NEUT) count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein/albumin ratios were the considered distinctive parameters for distinguishing the third group from the first group. However, the same result cannot be applied to the first and the second groups since only the WBC and NEUT counts showed distinctive performance. The measurement of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, WBC, NEUT, and albumin levels can be used to predict the severity of AMI. We believe that evaluating these laboratory parameters will greatly prevent possible morbidity and mortality in the patient. Also, we were able to observe that the parameters used in predicting AMI severity can be verified with rapid and low-cost radiological imaging techniques.