Intestinal angina.

The outlook for chronic ischemic disease of the intestine must stress several factors: (1) the clinical entity is uncommon, (2) vascular occlusion is common, (3) diagnosis is most difficult, and (4) angiography is indispensable for diagnosis, but the procedure is not without hazard. Proper evaluation of all factors, with proper selection of patients who would benefit from revascularization procedures, is essential. The future evaluation and alleviation of ischemic bowel disease may well depend on skills of the past, i.e., a thorough, painstaking history of the existing illness.