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Intestinal ischemia and infarction - Symptom

Alternative Names

Intestinal necrosis; Ischemic bowel; Dead bowel; Dead gut

Symptoms:

The hallmark of intestinal ischemia is abdominal pain. Other symptoms include:

Diarrhea
Fever
Vomiting

Signs and tests:

Laboratory tests may show a high white blood cell (WBC) count (a marker of infection) and increased acid in the bloodstream.

Other tests include:

CT scan (special x-ray) of the abdomen
Angiogram

None of these tests are foolproof, however. Sometimes the only sure way to diagnose ischemic bowel is with exploratory surgery.

Digestive system

Blood supply of the large intestine

Reviewed last on: 5/15/2008
Robert A. Cowles, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Fry RD, Mahmoud N, Maron DJ, Ross HM, Rombeau J. Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008.

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