title: [Diagnostic approach to ischemic colitis].
abstract: Ischemic colitis is the most frequent form of intestinal ischemia and arises when the colon is temporarily deprived of blood supply. Diagnosis of this entity requires a high index of clinical suspicion. To achieve this, the chronology of the symptoms (abdominal pain followed by defecatory urgency and rectorrhagia) and the clinical context in which these symptoms appear (> 90% affect persons especially at risk for vascular accidents) must be taken into account. Although diagnosis requires early colonoscopy (< 48 h), this procedure should not be performed if peritonitis is present. In severe forms, other imaging techniques, such as Doppler ultrasound or abdominal computed tomography, provide information with diagnostic -and even prognostic- value. Angiography is reserved for patients in whom there is doubt about the presence of acute mesenteric ischemia. Thrombophilia should be investigated in persons aged less than 60 years old.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina y Psiquiatría, Universidad de Zaragoza, España. montorohuguet@gmail.com
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Montoro Huguet
authors.forename: Santos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santolaria Piedrafita
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D017091:Colitis, Ischemic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans