Atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta and its visceral branches: Associations with other manifestations of atherosclerosis in an autopsy study

Intestinal necrosis caused by acute mesenteric ischemia associated with pregnancy: A case report and literature review

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Acute mesenteric ischemia associated with pregnancy is a rare pathology that is difficult to treat.

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Acute mesenteric ischemia can be caused by a venous thrombosis associated with gestation.

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Acute mesenteric ischemia should be considered in pregnant woman.

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Patient with intense intestinal necrosis, need a intestinal resection which would cause a short bowel syndrome.

Introduction

Mesenteric ischaemia associated with pregnancy is a rare disease with a high mortality rate and its prognosis depends on the time passing between diagnosis and final management.

Presentation of case

A 38-year-old Peruvian woman developed intestinal necrosis during week 35 of her pregnancy because of mesenteric ischaemia associated with her pregnancy.

Discussion

Given the findings of extensive intestinal necrosis, surgical resection was performed, causing short bowel syndrome. Histopathological analysis confirmed that the immediate cause of the patient’s ischaemia was venous thrombosis associated with her gestation.

Conclusion

Acute mesenteric ischaemia should be considered as a possible diagnosis in pregnant woman with risk factors for thrombophilia presenting with abdominal pain.

Intimal thickening and fragmentation of the internal elastic lamina in the mesenteric arteries

To evaluate the intimal thickness and continuity of the internal elastic lamina (IEL) in the mesenteric arteries, proximal segments of the coeliac artery (CA), superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) were studied light microscopically in 123 consecutive postmortem examinations. The mean age of the subjects was 62 years. Arterial segments were fixed in formalin, embedded in paraffin blocks, sectioned, and stained with Masson's trichrome. Fifty-one per cent of the samples examined showed at least minimal intimal thickening. The occurrence of significant luminal narrowing increased with age. We found a positive correlation between defects in the IEL and thickness of the intima in the mesenteric arteries, which is in harmony with previous observations showing marked fragmentation of the IEL in atherogenesis.