[Modern treatment of mesenteric ischemia]

Acute mesenteric ischemia is a highly morbid affliction which requires urgent care. Acute mesenteric ischemia consists in an ischemia injury of the small bowel, secondary to vascular insufficiency, either occlusive (thrombosis, embolism, arterial, venous) or non-occlusive (low flow or vasospasm). Given that the superior mesenteric artery supplies the small bowel as well as the right part of the colon, any ischemic process involving the right colon should be considered an acute mesenteric ischemia until proven otherwise. Acute mesenteric ischemia should always be suspected in the setting of a sudden, unusual and intense abdominal pain requiring opioids. Chronic mesenteric ischemia can also be revealed by postprandial abdominal pain associated with significant weight loss. The clinical presentation of mesenteric ischemia is nonspecific. Thus, a suspected diagnosis must be confirmed by imaging usually consisting in an abdominal computed tomography scan. Imaging will also provide guidance with regards to treatment decision. Organ failure, serum lactate elevation as well as bowel loop dilationper imaging are predictive of irreversible intestinal necrosis. In the presence of any of these predictive factors, surgical management should be considered. The modern treatment of mesenteric ischemia in Intestinal Stroke Centers has allowed rates of resection-free survival in nearly two-thirds of patients. The management of mesenteric ischemia relies in a combination of: (1) a medical protocol including oral/enteral antibiotics; (2) the revascularization of viable bowel and (3) the surgical resection of necrosic, non viable intestinal tissue. The inception and development of Intestinal Stroke Centers has been the cornerstone of significantly improved management and survival rates as well as crucial asset in research, specifically in the field of biomarkers associated with early diagnosis.