Successful percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting in acute mesenteric ischemia

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is a life-threatening emergency. The complications are high by the time of diagnosis in most cases and therefore only few data on primary percutaneous intervention with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and stenting in AMI are available. We present the case of an 84-year-old woman who presented to our emergency department complaining of an acute worsening of pre-existing abdominal periumbilical pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. She had previously undergone percutaneous transluminal embolectomy for an acute occlusion of the left common femoral artery. Due to suspicion of intestinal infarction, conventional angiography of the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) was performed and confirmed a proximal occlusion of the SMA. Percutaneous SMA recanalization with balloon dilation and subsequent stent implantation was carried out successfully. The abdominal symptoms subsided after this procedure. In AMI that is diagnosed early, endovascular stenting should be considered as an alternative treatment to the surgical approach that avoids the need for surgical bowel resection.