Chronic mesenteric ischemia: efficacy and outcome of endovascular therapy

Chronic mesenteric ischemia is a rare condition caused by occlusive disease of the mesenteric vessels and manifested most commonly as abdominal pain. While the traditional therapy in symptomatic patients has been surgery, recent improvements in interventional devices and refinement in techniques have increased the popularity of endovascular treatment. The high procedural success and the low complication rate make the catheter-based approach an interesting alternative to surgery. Percutaneous angioplasty and stenting is now recognized as a minimally invasive means of obtaining good long-term results and is consequently suggested for the primary treatment of chronic mesenteric ischemia. This article presents a review of the literature on indications and technical aspects of endovascular treatment, with emphasis on short- and long-term outcomes.