Chronic Mesenteric Ischemia Treated by Isolated Angioplasty of the Inferior Mesenteric Artery

Rare case of "wandering artery of drummond" as a result of chronic triple mesenteric vessel occlusion treated by isolated angioplasty and stenting of the inferior mesenteric artery

We report a rare clinical scenario of chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI) patient with obstruction of all the three major gut vessels including celiac, superior mesenteric artery (SMA), and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) with a sole artery supplying the collaterals through marginal artery of left colon (the "wandering artery of Drummond"). A 70-year-old man was presented to hospital with acute onset of dyspnea, diaphoresis, severe epigastric pain, nausea, and vomiting that started after lunch. Initially, patient was diagnosed and treated for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Furthermore, work-up, including computed tomographic scan of abdomen followed by angiogram, revealed 100% obstruction of celiac and SMA, whereas inferior IMA had 90% ostial lesion with poststenotic dilatation and collaterals supplying to entire colon. Subsequently, IMA ostial lesion was stented through percutaneous intervention and patient noted significantly improved symptoms and quality of life. To conclude, percutaneous endovascular treatments confer favorable strategy for CMI, and it may either be curative or allow nutritional optimization before definitive surgery.

Endovascular treatment of chronic arterial mesenteric ischemia: a changing perspective?

Endovascular treatment for chronic mesenteric ischemia is growing in popularity because of its lower periprocedural morbidity and mortality than open surgery. It is especially suitable for the high-risk surgical candidate and for those who have a poor nutritional state, although endovascular surgery may not be possible in patients with ostial occlusions or heavily calcified vessels. A positive response to angioplasty is helpful to secure a diagnosis in patients with slightly atypical symptoms. There are little data at present to suggest that primary stenting is better than angioplasty alone, but insertion of a stent may be valuable as a rescue procedure following dissection, vascular recoil, or thrombosis during angioplasty. The superior mesenteric artery is probably the most important vessel to treat but, where this is impossible, celiac or inferior mesenteric artery dilatation may have therapeutic benefit. However, there is some evidence at present favoring multiple, as opposed to single-vessel, angioplasty or stenting. Long-term patency is better after mesenteric bypass, which may be preferred in the younger and fitter patient. Treatment of the celiac artery compression syndrome is primarily surgical, but stent insertion may have a role as a secondary procedure where there is a residual stenosis after median arcuate ligament division.