Chronic mesenteric ischemia is a rare afection, wich in 95% of cases is caused by difuse atherosclerosis ( fats accumulation in your blood vessels walls, leading to their narrowing wich decrease the flow of blood to the bowel). Disease’ s progression is associated with more striking symptoms. Almost half of patients present simultaneous the affecting of heart’s blood vessels, but also peripheral artery disease.
Nonatheromatous conditions include: compression of celiac artery, Takayasu arteritis, thromboangitiitis obliterans, radiation-induced vascular injury. The disease generally presents in patients over 60 years and the incidence is three times higher in women. Symptoms commonly occurs when there are two blood vessels affected ( celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, inferior mesenteric artery).
Digestive tube receive blood from three main vessels: celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). The celiac artery suppllies most of blood to the lower esophagus, stomach, duodenum, liver, pancreas and spleen. The SMA commes off the aorta and supplies blood to duodenum, jejun, ileum, cecum and colon. IMA commes also off the aorta and supplies blood to the distal transverse, descending and sigmoid colon and the rectum. Many communications exist within these arteries so as we pointed above, tipically, symptomps appears when there are at least two vessels affected.
