Management of mesenteric ischemia and mesenteric vein thrombosis

Abstract

Acute mesenteric ischemia is secondary to acute embolic disease or thrombosis of the superior mesenteric artery. Further pathologies that manifest themselves with the same clinical presentation are thrombosis of the superior mesenteric vein and non-occlusive disease. The patients are admitted to the emergency room with an acute abdomen. Most patients are more than 70 years old. Known risk factors for mesenteric ischemia are cardiac diseases as atrial fibrillation, aneurysms of the aorta and the visceral arteries, occlusive arterial diseases, tumorigenic compression of the vessel and several diseases that result in a reduction of the flow and intravascular volume in the superior mesenteric artery. The golden standard in the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia is CT-angiography of the abdominal vessels with 3 D reconstruction. The therapy is different and dependent from the underlying pathology. A statistically significantly elevated mortality of more than 95% is associated with a delay of surgical or interventional therapy of more than 12 hours after the initial symptoms and non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia. Because of the advanced age of the patients and the co-morbidities a non-surgical interventional re-canalisation of the superior mesenteric vessels is recommended. A laparotomy is necessary in all patients with peritonitis and/or bowel necrosis or perforation.