Functional abnormalities, of mesenteric blood flow. A guide to organic disease of the bowel.

Analysis of functional as well as anatomic aspects of blood flow greatly increases the diagnostic accuracy of superior mesenteric artery angiography. In almost all normal individuals the major branches of the superior mesenteric artery empty within a spain of two seconds. The corresponding draining veins all first appear within a two second span. Deviations from the pattern must be explained, as they usually signal abnormality. Five pertinent cases illustrate functional abnormalities leading to the detection of tumors where definite tumor vascularity was not demonstrated, the localization of a bleeding site where extravasation was not detected, and the recognition of obstructing adhesive bands.