Intestinal Angina

Abstract

EARNEST attention is currently being focused upon intestinal angina, a syndrome that may precede the acute abdominal catastrophe of irreversible ischemic bowel infarction.^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10} At this terminal, critical stage the death of the patient is usually inevitable.^{11 12 13 14} A review of the American literature suggests that this prodrome has been suspected during the life of the patient in only 2 recorded cases.^{1 , 2} In each of these cases, the conclusive diagnosis was established only during emergency surgery that was being carried out for bowel infarction. The clinical picture, the pathologic process involved and the potential for surgical cure in intestinal angina have only . . .