[Measurement of intestinal blood supply in patients with suspected intestinal ischemia]

The object of the investigation was to illustrate the diagnostic yields of measurement of the intestinal blood supply before and after a test meal and of abdominal angiography recorded in patients in whom chronic intestinal ischaemia is suspected. A retrospective review including 18 patients (age range 36-79 years) was undertaken. The diagnosis of chronic intestinal ischaemia was established in four patients on the basis of measurement of the blood supply to the intestine and abdominal angiography and vascular reconstructive interventions could be performed. These interventions were technically successful in three cases. Control flow measurement was only performed in one patient after the operation. This showed normalized postprandial blood flow. By large, measurements of the blood supply to the intestine were free from complications. In cases of suspected chronic intestinal ischaemia, the combination of abdominal angiography and measurement of the blood supply to the intestine appear to supply the necessary information for selection of patients for vascular surgical interventions.