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Resumen La isquemia mesentérica aguda se asocia a una mortalidad de entre el 50 y el 100%, la causa más rara de esta es la trombosis venosa de los vasos mesentéricos (5%) y portal (1%). Las manifestaciones clínicas son diversas, siendo el dolor abdominal el principal síntoma. La tomografía computarizada con contraste intravenoso en fase portal es la imagen más precisa para el diagnóstico. El tratamiento en fase aguda se basa en anticoagulación, fluidos intravenosos, antibióticos profilácticos, descanso intestinal y descompresión. La laparotomía de control de daños, incluida la resección intestinal y el abdomen abierto, pueden estar justificados en última instancia para pacientes con necrosis intestinal y sepsis. Caso clínico: Hombre de 35 años, sin antecedentes de importancia, solo tabaquismo desde hace 15 años. Refirió que 5 días previos comenzó a presentar dolor en el epigastrio tipo cólico, de intensidad moderada, posteriormente refirió que el dolor se generalizó y aumentó de intensidad, acompañado de náusea, vómito, intolerancia a la vía oral y alza térmica. Al examen físico tuvo datos de respuesta inflamatoria sistémica, estaba consciente y orientado, con abdomen doloroso a la palpación superficial y profunda a nivel generalizado, pero acentuado en el flanco derecho, rebote positivo con resistencia, timpanismo generalizado, peristalsis ausente. Se ingresó a quirófano a laparotomía exploradora, encontrando lesión a intestinal isquémica-necrótica a 190-240 cm del ángulo de Treitz, y 400 cc de líquido hemático; se realizó resección de la parte intestinal afectada, con entero-enteroanastomosis término-terminal manual. Se envió pieza a patología, y se reportó un proceso inflamatorio agudo con necrosis transmural y congestión vascular. Ante estos hallazgos se realizó angiotomografía abdominal que reportó defecto de llenado en la vena mesentérica superior, secundario a trombosis que se extendía hasta la confluencia y la vena porta. Conclusión: La trombosis venosa mesentérica y portal es una patología muy infrecuente en pacientes jóvenes sin factores de riesgo en los que se presenta dolor abdominal. El diagnóstico es complejo debido a que los datos clínicos y de laboratorio son poco específicos. Sin embargo, debemos tenerla en cuenta en el diagnóstico diferencial de etiologías de dolor abdominal.
Abstract Acute Mesenteric Ischemia is associated with a mortality rate between 50% and 100%; the rarest cause of this is venous thrombosis of the mesenteric (5%) and portal (1%) vessels. The clinical manifestations are diverse, with abdominal pain being the main symptom. Computed tomography with intravenous contrast in the portal phase is the most accurate image for diagnosis. Treatment in the acute phase is based on anticoagulation, intravenous fluids, prophylactic antibiotics, intestinal rest, and decompression. Damage control laparotomy, including bowel resection and open abdomen, may ultimately be warranted for patients with bowel necrosis and sepsis. Clinical case: 35-year-old man, with no significant history, only smoking for 15 years. For 5 days before, he reported crampy epigastric pain of moderate intensity. He subsequently reported that the pain became generalized and increased in intensity, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, oral intolerance, and temperature rise. The physical examination showed signs of a systemic inflammatory response, conscious and oriented, abdomen painful on superficial and deep palpation at a generalized level but accentuated on the right flank, positive rebound with resistance, generalized tympanism, absent peristalsis. The operating room was entered for exploratory laparotomy, finding an ischemic-necrotic intestinal lesion at 190 - 240 cm from the angle of Treitz, and 400cc of blood fluid. Resection of the affected intestinal part is performed, with entire manual terminal end anastomosis. The specimen was sent to pathology, reporting an acute inflammatory process with transmural necrosis and vascular congestion. Given these findings, abdominal CT angiography was performed, which reported a filling defect in the superior mesenteric vein, secondary to thrombosis that extended to the confluence and the portal vein. Conclusion: Mesenteric and portal venous thrombosis is a very rare pathology in young patients without risk factors in whom abdominal pain occurs. The diagnosis is complex because the clinical and laboratory data are not very specific. However, we must take it into account in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain etiologies.
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Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment of mesenteric venous thrombosis secondary to long-term ischemic enteropathy.Methods The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted.The clinical data of 36 patients with mesenteric venous thrombosis secondary to long-term ischemic enteropathy who were admitted to the Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command from January 2009 to June 2017 were collected.Diagnostic methods:history inquiry,physical examination,laboratory test and image finding.Treatment methods:parenteral nutrition support,selective stage 1 bowel resection with anastomosis or stage 1 bowel resection and colostomy,definitive stage 2 operation for recovering digestive tract.Anticoagulation therapy was performed.Observation indicators:(1) clinical characteristics;(2) treatment;(3) follow-up.Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect postoperative complications up to December 2017.Measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M (P25,P75) and M (range).Results (1) Clinical characteristics:① the main clinical manifestations:34,33,27,20,17 and 14 patients showed respectively discomfort after meal,abdominal pain,abdominal distension,nausea with vomiting,stop of analis exhaust and defecation and weight loss of different degree,and the worst patient lost 20 kg within 1 month.The clinical manifestations of 30 patients were more than 3.② The score of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE)Ⅱ in 36 patients was 4 (2,6).③ Laboratory test:total protein (TP),albumin and prealbumin were 55.8 g/L (45.2 g/L,59.1 g/L),30.6 g/L (27.3 g/L,37.5 g/L) and 100.0 g/L (86.0 g/L,132.0 g/L),respectively,showing a decreased trend.④ Imaging finding:enhanced scans of abdominal CT showed the portal cavernous in 16 patients,the absence of main trunk of superior mesenteric vein with extensive collaterals in 12 patients,and dovelopment of portal vein and main trunk of superior mesenteric vein in 8 patients.One patients had intestinal edema and stenosis.X-ray contrast examination of digestive tract showed intestinal stenosis with mucosal erosion in 28 patients and complete intestinal obstruction in 8 patients.(2) Treatment:of 36 patients,24 underwent stage 1 bowel resection with anastomosis and other 12 received stage 1 bowel resection and colostomy (11 undergoing definitive stage 2 operation for recovering digestive tract and 1 refusing stage 2 operation due to advanced age).The length of resected bowel was 30 cm (15 cm,80 cm).One patient with stage 1 bowel resection with anastomosis was complicated with small bowel fistula,and was cured by conservative treatment.There was no complication in other patients.(3) Follow-up:all 36 patients were followed up for 3-10 months,with a median time of 6 months.During the follow-up,7 patients were complicated with secondary portal hypertension,5 of 7 were improved by symptomatic treatment,and 2 died of severe digestive tract bleeding;other patients had no related complications.Conclusions The discomfort after meal and bowel obstruction are the main clinical manifestations of mesenteric venous thrombosis secondary to long-term ischemic enteropathy.The abdominal CT with X-ray contrast examination benefits to diagnosis of patients with poor nutrition status and mild infection.The main strategy includes early surgical resection and postoperative anticoagulation therapy after bleeding risk evaluation.
ABSTRACT
La trombosis venosa mesentérica corresponde a un factor obstructivo del sistema venoso intestinal intraluminal, trayendo consecuencias clínicas dadas por isquemia intestinal y aumento de la circulación colateral debido a una dificultad del drenaje sanguíneo. Raramente, esto podría generar várices ectópicas, pero esta descrito en la literatura la existencia de várices duodenales producto de este mecanismo. En este articulo se presenta un reporte de un caso, que presenta un sangrado variceal de origen duodenal secundaria a una trombosis venosa portal y mesentérica, sin causa aparente.
Mesenteric vein thrombosis is an intraluminal obstruction of the intestinal venous system with clinical consequences due to intestinal ischemia and an increase in collateral circulation caused by compromised venous return. It very rarely generates ectopic varicose veins but duodenal varicose veins caused by this mechanism have been described in the literature. In this article we report the case of duodenal variceal bleeding secondary to a portal and mesenteric venous thrombosis with no apparent cause.
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Resumen Introducción: La isquemia mesenterica se clasifica, según su etiología, en: embolismo arterial, trombosis arterial patologías no oclusivas y trombosis venosa mesenterica (TVM), que es la causa de laparotomía exploradora en 1 de cada 1000 pacientes con síndrome abdominal agudo. Es más común entre la quinta y la sexta décadas de la vida. Caso clínico: Masculino de 31 años de edad, afroamericano, sin antecedentes médicos. Con dolor abdominal generalizado de 72 horas de evolución. Con signos positivos de irritación peritoneal. La tomografia con defecto de llenado en vena mesenterica superior, vena esplénica y vena porta. Se realizó laparotomía de urgencia que requirió resección intestinal por necrosis de yeyuno. Se realizaron estudios hematológicos, oncológicos y autoinmunes sin hallazgos positivos. Discusión: Latrombosis venosa por lo regulares secundaria a síndromes de hipercoagulabilidad o neoplasias. La presentación clínica es inespecífica. En cuanto a los estudios de imagen que se pueden solicitar: ultrasonido, tomografia o resonancia magnética y angiografia percutánea con catéter. Las principales opciones terapéuticas para la isquemia mesenterica aguda son: el tratamiento endovascular, la revascularización quirúrgica, la anticoagulación y laparotomía exploradora en caso de complicaciones viscerales. Conclusión: Aunque es una patología poco frecuente, el médico debe estar familiarizado con su fisiopatologia, diagnóstico y las principales alternativas terapéuticas que hay para ella.
Abstract Background: Four common causes of mesenteric ischemia identified: arterial embolism, arterial thrombosis, non-occlusive pathologies and mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT). MVT is an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain and accounts for 1 in 1000 emergency surgical laparotomies for acute abdomen. Case Presentation: A 31 year old male, previously healthy, with 72 hour history of generalized abdominal pain on examination with signs of peritonitis. He underwent a computed tomographic (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis, which demonstrated thrombosis of the portal, splenic and superior mesenteric veins. A laparotomy was performed, we found jejunal necrosis and a bowel resection was required. Hematologic, oncologic and autoimmune studies were performed and all of them were negative. Discussion: Venous thrombosis is almost always secondary to other pathologies. The principle ones are: hypercoagulability and occult neoplasia. The clinical presentation is non-specific. To make a diagnosis one can use: a Doppler ultrasound, a CT angiography, a magnetic resonance and a catheter angiography. The available treatments for acute mesenteric ischemia are: endovascular procedures, bypass surgery, anticoagulation and a laparotomy to treat visceral complications. Conclusion: Even if this is an uncommon pathology, physicians need to be aware of pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of acute mesenteric ischemia.
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Objective Transcatheter thrombolysis is an important method for early recanalization of acute superior mesenteric venous thrombosis (SMVT), which is conducted mainly through percutaneous transhepatic , transjugular intrahepatic, or superior mesen-teric artery approach .This study is to assess the feasibility , effectiveness and safety of catheter-directed thrombolysis via the superior mesenteric vein and artery for acute SMVT . Methods We retrospectively reviewed 8 cases of acute extensive SMVT treated by tran-scatheter thrombolysis via superior mesenteric vein and artery in our institute .We collected and analyzed the general information , case history, etiology, risk factors, imaging characteristics, treatment procedures, complications, and follow-up data of the patients summa-rized the experience in the treatment of acute extensive SMVT by catheter-directed thrombolysis . Results Technical success was a-chieved with substantial symptoms improvement after thrombolytic therapy in all the cases .The local urokinase infusion via the superior mesenteric artery and vein was performed for (6.13 ±0.83) and (12 ±2.51) d.Four patients required delayed localized bowel resection of (1.63 ±0.48) m, with satisfactory recovery after intensive care and organ function support .Contrast-enhanced CT scan and portogra-phy demonstrated complete thrombus resolution in all the patients before discharged after a hospital stay of (19.25 ±4.89) d.Minor bleeding at the puncture site occurred in 2 cases and sepsis developed in another 2 postoperatively .No recurrence and complications were ob-served during the follow-up of (12.13 ±0.99) mo. Conclusion For acute extensive SMVT , catheter-directed thrombolytic therapy via superior mesenteric vein and artery can accelerate thrombus resolution , stimulate collateral vessel development , reverse extensive intestinal is-chemia, avert bowel resection , localize infarcted bowel segment to pre-vent short bowel syndrome , and effectively speed up the recovery and significantly increase the survival rate of the patients .
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Mesenteric venous thrombosis is a clinically very rare disease, and may cause bowel infarction and gangrene. Difficulty in the dignosis the disease due to its non-specific symptoms and low prevalence can cause a clinically fatal situation. Mesenteric venous thrombosis may be caused by both congenital and acquired factors, and protein C deficiency, which is a very rare genetic disorder, is one of many causes of mesenteric thrombosis. The authors experienced a case of mesenteric venous thrombosis caused by protein C deficiency in a patient with duodenal ulcer bleeding, so here we report a case together with literature review.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Duodenal Ulcer/complications , Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal , Mesenteric Veins , Peptic Ulcer Hemorrhage/complications , Protein C Deficiency/complications , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Venous Thrombosis/diagnosisABSTRACT
Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy is an effective and relatively safe modality for controlling bleeding esophageal varices. Injection of sclerosant causes acute mural thrombosis with a necroinflammatory response and subsequent sclerosis in the venous system of the distal esophagus. A few cases of mesenteric venous thrombosis with small bowel infarction after sclerotherapy have been reported, and most of which were fatal. The association between mesenteric venous thrombosis and sclerotherapy has been strongly suggested, but this still remains unproved. We report here on a case of mesenteric venous thrombosis with small bowel infarction that developed after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy.
Subject(s)
Esophageal and Gastric Varices , Esophagus , Hemorrhage , Infarction , Sclerosis , Sclerotherapy , Thrombosis , Venous ThrombosisABSTRACT
Portal vein stricture complicated with superior mesenteric venous thrombosis is rarely seen in clinical practice. On December 26, 2009, a 51-year-old male patient who had a liver transplantation history was admitted to The General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces with the chief complaint of intermittent abdominal pain and diarrhea.A plain and enhanced CT scan showed that the portal vein was constrictive and thrombosis had formed in the main trunk of the superior mesenteric vein, and varicose veins were seen in surrounding tissues of the esophagus. Edema was observed at the end of the ileum and cecum. The results of colonoscopy showed inflammatory changes and varicose veins of the colon. The patient received medical treatment. The thrombosis was dissolved 9 days later, and all symptoms disappeared 12 days later.
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Objective To assess the feasibility of interventional techniques in the establishment of animal model of superior mesenteric vein-portal vein (SMV-PV) thrombosis. Methods Nine miniature pigs were involved in the study including one for preliminary experiment. After general anesthesia, a balloon catheter was placed in the main trunk of PV to block the portal flow and then thrombin or autologous blood clot was injected to the SMV. Venography was performed to confirm the thrombosis 30 minutes later. Changes in the imaging before and after the thrombosis were observed. Pigs died during the experiment were anatomized to analyze the causes, and pathological examination was performed when necessary. Results The model of SMV-PV thrombosis was successfully established in all the pigs. One pig died of diffuse intravascular coagulation 10 minutes after model establishment in the preliminary experiment. Two pigs died of hepatorrhexis and over dose of anesthetics respec-tively 3 hours after model establishment, and the rest 6 pigs were fed for 14 days. Conclusion Interventional techniques are effective in the establishment of SMV-PV thrombosis model.
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@#Objective To detect the effect of the operative and non-operative therapy on acute mesenteric venous thrombosis (AMVT).Methods The documents of 18 AMVT patients from Jan 1990 to May 2006 were reviewed retrospectively.Results In 18 patients, 12 cases with intestinal necrosis received operation, among them, 2 cases received the operation only and 10 cases added with anti-coagulation therapy further. The rest 6 patients received non-operative therapy. All of 18 patients recovered well.Conclusion Non-operative therapy is safe and effective for the patients without intestinal necrosis. Post-operative anti-coagulation therapy is very important for the patients received the operative therapy.
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Objective To assess the efficiency and methods of the interventional management in acute mesenteric venous thrombosis (AMVT). Methods Fifteen patients with AMVT who diagnosed by imageology were treated by interventional procedures. Eight patients were treated by transcatheter superior mesenteric artery thrombolysis with urokinase, 5 cases by percutaneous transhepatic treatment, 2 cases by transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt approach. Results The technical success was achieved in all the 15 cases without complications. The majority of the thrombus was cleared by interventional procedures and flow restorated on the angiograms. All the patients with follow-up from 10 to 22 months showed no recurrence. Conclusion The minimally invasive interventional techniques are safe and effective in the treatment of mesenteric venous thrombosis without necrosis.
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Mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) is uncommon, but it is often aggravated to a lethal form of intestinal ischemia. Multiple risk factors are associated with mesenteric venous thrombosis, including hypercoagulable or inflammatory states, previous abdominal surgery, abdominal trauma, portal hypertension and oral contraceptives. The use of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives accounts for 4% to 5% of all the cases of MVT. Oral contraceptives have been reported to decrease antithrombin III, increase the levels of prothrombin complex factor and factor VIII, and to inhibit the fibrinolytic system. We describe here a case of 42-year-old woman who had taken oral contraceptives for 7 years and she was diagnosed to have Protein C and Protein S deficiency, and superior mesenteric venous (SMV) and portal vein thrombosis. She underwent segmental resection of the small bowel. She was later discharged without suffering with short bowel syndrome or any other complications.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Antithrombin III , Contraceptives, Oral , Factor VIII , Hypertension, Portal , Ischemia , Protein C , Protein S Deficiency , Protein S , Prothrombin , Risk Factors , Short Bowel Syndrome , Thrombosis , Venous ThrombosisABSTRACT
Portal and mesenteric venous thrombosis is an uncommon disease, but clinically important, because it accounts for 5% to 15% of acute mesenteric ischemia. The diagnosis is often delayed because the conditions are nonspecific abdominal symptoms. In addition, when this occurs in young individual without any known predisposing factor, the diagnosis may become even more difficult. The treatment of mesenteric venous thrombosis involves anticoagulation therapy alone or in combination with surgery. The addition of thrombolytic therapy to the treatment of portal and mesenteric venous thrombosis may enhance the clearance of thrombus and hasten the clinical improvements. We present a case of mesenteric venous thrombosis treated with catheter-directed infusion of urokinase via the superior mesenteric artery and systemic anticoagulation.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Male , Infusions, Intra-Arterial , Mesenteric Artery, Superior , Mesenteric Vascular Occlusion/drug therapy , Mesenteric Veins , Portal Vein , Thrombolytic Therapy , Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator/administration & dosage , Venous Thrombosis/drug therapyABSTRACT
Objective To analyze clinical characteristics of acute mesenteric venous thrombosis (AMVT) and its diagnositic methods. Methods Medical records of 16 patients diagnosed as SMVT in Friendship Hospital of Beijing during October 1985 to October 2002 were collected and analyzed, and its clinical characteristics and diagnostic methods were summarized.Results Median age of the 16 patients was 45.9 years, ranged from 19 to 64 years. Their main symptoms at admission were abdominal pain (100%), abdominal distension (100%), acute abdomen (100%), vomiting (75%, 12/16) and fever (75%, 12/16), with an underdiagnosis rate of 75% (12/16) and case-fatality ratio of 44% (7/16).Conclusions AMVT had several specific manifestations. Early clinical diagnosis for AMVT could be established on the basis of abdominal color doppler ultrasonography, diagnostic abdominocentesis, CT and selective superior mesenteric arteriography, and its case-fatality could be lowered with early surgical operation.
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Porto-mesenteric venous thrombosis is a rare disorder, which can occur as a complication of many diseases. Porto-mesenteric venous thrombosis leads to venous hypertension, outpouring of blood into the bowel lumen and mesentery, distension and rupture of venules, and hemorrhgae and edema of the bowel wall. In cases of mild porto-mesenteric venous thrombosis, nonoperative management-consisting of fluid resuscitation, anticoagulation, and thrombolysis-may be acceptable in clinically stable patients with early diagnosis. If patients show clinical signs of peritonitis or deteriorates on medical management, prompt surgical intervention is warranted. At laparotomy, segmental resection of the involved bowel with primary anastomosis is easily accomplished, because the hemorrhagic infarction associated with porto-mesenteric venous thrombosis is limited. The optimal duration of anticoagulation therapy has not been defined. However, recommendation is that anticoagulation should be continued indefinitely, as it reduces the incidence of porto-mesenteric venous thrombosis recurrence. The patient in our study presented with a severely edematous duodenum and proximal jejunum in CT scan with signs of peritonitis due to perforation of the upper-jejunum. We had performed a percutaneous drainage for intraabdominal abscess which occurred the jejunal infarction. About 1 month later, a resection of a well-controlled fistula tract was done.
Subject(s)
Humans , Abscess , Drainage , Duodenum , Early Diagnosis , Edema , Fistula , Hypertension , Incidence , Infarction , Jejunum , Laparotomy , Mesentery , Peritonitis , Recurrence , Resuscitation , Rupture , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Venous Thrombosis , VenulesABSTRACT
The efficacy of injection sclerotherapy for treatment of acute esophageal variceal bleeding is well established. But several complications of endoscopic sclerotherapy have been reported. One of the complications is mesenteric venous thrombosis which develops when vasopressin is user for the sclerotherapy. We report a case of superior mesenteric venous thrombosis with developed after endoscopic sclerotherapy for control of esophageal variceal bleeding.
Subject(s)
Esophageal and Gastric Varices , Sclerotherapy , Vasopressins , Venous ThrombosisABSTRACT
Acute mesenteric infarction is a catastrophic illness representing a diverse spectrum of pathologic conditions which ultimately lead to necrosis of the intestine and which is uniformly fatal if left untreated. Despite better understanding of the disease process, acute mesenteric infarction continues to be a lethal disorder with high mortality rate. We experienced two cases of acute mesenteric infarction due to superior mesenteric arterial and venous branch occlusion, respectively, in recent years: One case was focal segmental ischemia with normal radiologic finding including angiography, successfully treated with segmental resection of the necrotized ileum, another case was mesenteric venous thrombosis, also treated with resection of necrotized small intestine followed by second look operation.
Subject(s)
Angiography , Catastrophic Illness , Ileum , Infarction , Intestine, Small , Intestines , Ischemia , Mortality , Necrosis , Venous ThrombosisABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Despite increased awareness of the fatality of mesenteric ischemia, the diagnosis seldom is made prior to the onset of gangrene. The multiplicity of etiologic factors, the many varied presentations, and splanchnic vasoconstriction all affect the extent of ischemic injury, adding to the complexity of the clinical problem. Extensive acute processes are still catastrophic illnesses with a high mrotality, but there is a potential for both better diagnisis and therapy with an improved outcome. Discussion of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this entity will be presented. METHODS: A Retrospective review of our experience with ischemic bowel disease was made. Ten consecutive clinical cases admitted in ChungNam National University Hospital from October 1990 to April 1994 were observed. RESULTS: 1) We experienced 5 patients with arterial embolic occlusion, 1 patient with venous thrombosis and 4 patients with colonic ischemia. 2) The peak ages were 6th decade and 8th decade. 3) The major clincal symptoms and signs were abdominal pain (100%), abdominal tenderness (70%), melena (70%), nausea (60%), fever (50%), vomiting (40%) and abdominal distension (30%). 4) On laboratory findings, there were leukocytosis (80%) and thrombocytopenia (20%) 5) In plain film, there were ileus (70%), edematous intestinal wall (50%), mucosal edema (30%), thumb printing (10%) and gasless abdomen (10%). Among the 5 cases performed abdominal CT, there were thickening of intestinal wall in 4 cases, narrowing of intestinal lumen in 2 case and ascites in 3 cases. 6) Bowel resections were perfomed in 7 cases and supportive care was performed in 3 cases. 7) The overall mortality rate was 30%, CONCLUSION: An oggressive approach in patients suspected of having ischemic bowel is indicated if the diagnosis is to be made before necrosis has occurred. A high index of suspicion, early angiography, correction of the underlying cardiac disease, treatment of splanchnic vasoconstriction, surgical revascularization, and resection of gangrenous bowel are necessery if there is to be a significant reduction in the high mortality rates associated with mesenteric ischemia.