The surgical management of acute occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery.

A study of 103 cases of acute occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery is presented. The relation of site of occlusion to etiology, extent of infarction, and survival following resection and revascularization is described. Included is an analysis of the technical factors contributing to successful revascularization, the specific complications of revascularization, and the application of elective second look operations and angiographic techniques. The persistant high mortality (85% in this series) can probably be reduced but only by advances in these areas along with progress in the more general aspects of management of elderly patients with multiple system problems and failure.