Superior-Mesenteric-Artery Embolectomy in the Treatment of Massive Mesenteric Infarction

Abstract

EMBOLIC occlusion of the main trunk of the superior mesenteric artery produces severe ischemia of the entire bowel between the terminal duodenum and mid-transverse colon. This entity must be differentiated from small emboli to branches of the artery that either produce no change, owing to the rich collateral circulation of the intestinal arcades, or cause necrosis of a limited segment of bowel, which can be dealt with satisfactorily by surgical resection. Collateral circulation after obstruction of the main trunk is derived from the celiac axis and inferior mesenteric artery, and where occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery occurs gradually, it . . .