Strengthening the Description of Superior Mesenteric Artery Occlusions in Acute Mesenteric Ischaemia: Proposition for an Anatomical Classification

Abstract

The aim of this study was to propose computed tomography angiography (CTA) based anatomical segmentation of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA), in order to standardise the reporting of occlusive lesions in acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI). A retrospective CTA evaluation of patients with occlusive AMI admitted between 2016 and 2021. After the screening of 468 patients, 95 were included. The SMA was segmented into proximal (S1, ostium to the inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery), middle (S2, from the inferior pancreaticoduodenal to the ileocolic artery), and distal (S3, downstream the ileocolic artery) sections. The jejunal arteries were labelled J1 to J6, and the middle, right, and ileocolic arteries C1, C2, and C3. Two radiologists independently applied the proposed segmentation to a cohort of patients with occlusive AMI to describe occlusive lesions. Intra- and inter-rater agreement was assessed with kappa statistics. Occlusions involved one segment in 50 (53%) patients (S1, n= 27 [28%]; S2, n= 12 [13%]; S3, n= 11 [12%]); two segments in 37 (39%) patients (S2/S3, n= 31 [33%]; S1/S2, n= 3 [3%]; S1/S3, n= 3 [3%]); and all three segments in eight patients (S1/S2/S3, 8%). The median number of jejunal arteries was four (interquartile range 3, 4.5). C1 and C2 were present in 93 (98%) and 23 patients (24%), respectively. Almost perfect intra-rater agreement was obtained for S1 (91% agreement, κ= 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72 - 0.92); substantial agreement was obtained for S2 (90% agreement, κ= 0.80, 95% CI 0.68 - 0.92) and S3 (86% agreement, κ= 0.72, 95% CI 0.58 - 0.86). Almost perfect inter-rater agreement (with the second junior reading) was obtained for S1 (97% agreement, κ= 0.95, 95% CI 0.89 - 1.0), S2 (91% agreement, κ= 0.82, 95% CI 0.72 - 0.92), and S3 (agreement 96%, κ= 0.91, 95% CI 0.83 - 0.99). A standardised CTA based anatomical segmental description of SMA occlusive lesions in AMI is proposed; it provided substantial to almost perfect intra- and inter-rater agreement for most anatomical segments.