Case Reports in Gastroenterology (Sep 2009)

Management of Acute Superior Mesenteric Artery Occlusion by Thrombolytic Therapy

  • Shinichi Okamura,
  • Hitoshi Fujiwara,
  • Teruhisa Sonoyama,
  • Toshiya Ochiai,
  • Hisashi Ikoma,
  • Takeshi Kubota,
  • Masayoshi Nakanishi,
  • Shojiro Kikuchi,
  • Daisuke Ichikawa,
  • Kazuma Okamoto,
  • Chohei Sakakura,
  • Yukihito Kokuba,
  • Hiroki Taniguchi,
  • Eigo Otsuji

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1159/000239293
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 3
pp. 300 – 305

Abstract

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Acute occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) causes extensive bowel necrosis, resulting in a poor prognosis with an extremely high mortality rate. An 82-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with the complaint of abdominal pain. She was diagnosed as having acute SMA occlusion by enhanced CT. Five hours from onset, the first thrombolytic therapy with urokinase was performed, but failed to complete thrombolysis and recanalization of peripheral blood flow. An exploratory laparotomy following the first thrombolytic therapy showed a mild ischemic change in the affected intestine and mesentery, but no sign of necrosis. After the laparotomy, local thrombolytic therapy with angiographic evaluation of blood flow at 24, 36 and 48 h from the first thrombolysis was performed. As a result, the residual thrombus disappeared and all branches of the SMA became well visualized. The patient was discharged well without a second-look operation or major bowel resection. Sequential intermittent thrombolytic therapy with meticulous angiographic evaluation of blood flow is effective for early-stage acute SMA occlusion.

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