Surgical management of chronic intestinal ischemia: a reappraisal.

Fifty-six patients with chronic intestinal ischemia underwent surgical revascularization. All patients had abdominal pain, 98% experienced significant weight loss, and 75% had an abdominal bruit. Visceral artery occlusive disease was documented by angiography in all patients; 77% of our patients had multiple-vessel occlusive disease, and 23% had single-vessel involvement of either the celiac or the superior mesenteric artery. The mortality rate was 8.9%. Ninety-six percent of the survivors were completely relief of symptoms, but an overall late recurrence rate was noted in 26.5%. Fifty-nine percent of our patients underwent revascularization of all stenotic vessels. Complete revascularization in multiple-vessel disease resulted in a late recurrence rate of 11%. When two of three stenotic vessels were revascularized, there was a 29% recurrence rate, and when one of three stenotic vessels was revascularized, there was a 50% recurrence rate. These findings suggest that although single-vessel revascularization may relieve symptoms, the optimal long-term result can be obtained by complete revascularization of all stenotic vessels.