Ischemic bowel disease in the elderly.
The ischemic bowel diseases are a heterogeneous group of disorders usually seen in elderly individuals. They represent ischemic damage to different portions [figure: see text] of the bowel and produce a variety of clinical syndromes and outcomes. Colonic ischemia is the commonest of these disorders and has a favorable prognosis in most cases. In contrast, acute mesenteric ischemia, most commonly caused by a superior mesenteric artery embolus, is a disease with a poor prognosis. Acute mesenteric ischemia secondary to nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia usually is a [figure: see text] catastrophic complication of other severe medical illnesses, most notably atherosclerosis. Proper diagnosis and management of patients with ischemic bowel disease requires vigilance on the part of the physician and a willingness to embark on an aggressive plan of diagnosis and management in the appropriate setting.
Greenwald
D A
DA
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA. dgreenwa@montefiore.org
Brandt
L J
LJ
Reinus
J F
JF
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D001161:Arteriosclerosis; D003106:Colon / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008641:Mesenteric Vascular Occlusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D008642:Mesenteric Veins; D011859:Radiography; D013152:Splanchnic Circulation; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology