[The significance of laboratory chemical parameters for the diagnosis of mesenteric infarction (author's transl)].

A laparotomy was performed on 23 dogs with and without ligation of the mesenteric artery. Twenty-eight laboratory parameters of blood samples taken immediately and then every two hours after the operations were checked for systematic trends. The analysis of variance showed some differences between both groups. It was impossible to use the individual results of this investigation for a general diagnostic approach. Difficult and long-lasting biochemical investigations are of dubious value since time loss is one of the most important problems in mesenteric occlusion. Indications for invasive diagnostic procedures and for laparotomy should not be postponed; they should depend on the different aspects of clinical symptoms, as it is practised now.