Splanchnic arteriosclerotic disease and intestinal angina.

Twenty-three patients (13 women and ten men, 33 to 73 years old) underwent reconstruction of 33 major splanchnic arteries for relief of symptomatic intestinal ischemia. All patients experienced postprandial abdominal pain and lost weight (average, 12.8 kg). Arterial reconstructions (32 bypass procedures and one endarterectomy with patch-graft arterioplasty) were undertaken with both autogenous saphenous vein (24) and prosthetic condults (nine). Revascularizations involved the superior mesenteric (21), celiac (five), hepatic (four), splenic (two), and inferior mesenteric (one) arteries. There were four postoperative deaths; three occurred after emergent secondary attempts at intestinal revascularization. All of the 19 patients who survived benefited from operative intervention.