title: Diagnosis and outcome of bowel infarction on an acute medical service.
abstract: Twenty patients with surgically or pathologically documented bowel infarction are compared with seven patients who were believed to have bowel infarction but had negative findings at laparotomy. The presentation of verified bowel infarction was nonspecific; abdominal pain, tenderness, and distension were the most common, occurring in 15 patients. No physical finding or laboratory test distinguished bowel infarction from mimicking conditions. Patients in both groups had an extremely poor prognosis. An approach to management is suggested.
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D007422:Intestines / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies