Assessment of acute mesenteric ischemia with multi-slice spiral CT / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical value of multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) in diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MSCT, including plain scan, the arterial phase scan, and the portal vein phase scan, was performed in 18 patients who were suspected of acute intestinal ischemia. The mesenteric arteries and portal veins were imaged with techniques including volume-rendered technique, multi-planar reconstruction, and maximum intensity projection-thin. All of them were also examined with digital subtractive angiography (DSA). The diagnostic results of MSCT were compared with those of DSA, and the abnormal MSCT findings were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Bowel wall thickening, mesenteric edema, and ascites were most commonly seen in venous thromboses, while luminal dilatation and air-fluid levels were commonly seen in arterial embolization. Except that pneumatosis was only seen in transmural infarction, all the abnormal CT findings were found in different patterns and different degrees of ischemia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The integrated MSCT examination is a valuable tool in diagnosis of acute intestinal ischemia. It can accurately diagnose acute intestinal ischemia and is also useful to assess the degrees of ischemia.</p>