The clinical presentation of mesenteric vascular disease

The clinical presentation of 17 patients with mesenteric vascular disease admitted to Mount Sinai Medical Center was reviewed. The signs and symptoms were similar in most cases. However, the acute onset of the symptom triad of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stools in an elderly patient should make one suspect the possibility of mesenteric vascular disease. The gross and light microscopic appearance of the intestinal tract was characterized by hemorrhagic infarcts regardless of the cause of the bowel ischemia. Mortality from this disease remains high, with only four of our 17 patients alive four months after operation.