Current status on plasma biomarkers for acute mesenteric ischemia

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Vascular Surgery
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) presents diagnostic challenges in clinical practice.
• Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Current diagnostic methods often lack sensitivity and specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status of plasma biomarkers for acute mesenteric ischemia.
• To identify promising biomarkers and their limitations.
• To assess the potential for routine clinical application of diagnostic markers.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of Medline and Embase databases (1980-2011).
• Inclusion of human studies with appropriate control groups.
• Exclusion of studies on intestinal reperfusion and those lacking control groups.

Main Results:

• D-dimer is a sensitive but poorly specific early marker for AMI.
• Intestinal fatty acid binding globulin (I-FABP) and D-lactate show conflicting results.
• α-glutathione S-transferase demonstrated questionable value; cobalt-albumin and urinary FABP require further validation.

Conclusions:

• No plasma biomarker has yet achieved routine clinical use for AMI diagnosis.
• Early diagnosis of intestinal ischemia remains a significant clinical challenge.
• Prospective studies are needed to validate promising biomarkers in diverse patient cohorts.