title: [Mesenteric venous thrombosis during pregnancy; a rare cause of acute ischaemia of the small intestine].
abstract: Acute ischaemia of the small intestine is caused by mesenteric venous thrombosis in 5-15% of patients. The non-specific symptoms frequently lead to a diagnostic delay.
  
  
  
  A 30-year-old pregnant woman presented at the accident and emergency department with progressive abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. During admission the patient developed signs of peritonitis. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed a picture of mesenteric venous thrombosis, and we resected 170 cm ischemic small intestine. No underlying cause was identified, apart from the pregnancy. The patient was treated with low-molecular-weight heparin and later gave birth to a healthy child.
  
  
  
  If a patient presents with (unexplained) progressive abdominal symptoms and disproportional abdominal pain without peritonitis, the possibility of intestinal ischaemia should be considered during differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis, afd. Heelkunde, Beverwijk.
authors.forename: B M M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Reiber
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Gorter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tenhagen
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Cense
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demirkiran
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000098:blood supply*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology*; D065666:Mesenteric Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D008642:Mesenteric Veins; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000209:etiology*