The right colon as a target organ of nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia. Case report and review of the literature
R. J. Landreneau and W. J. Fry
Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
Nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia is a poorly understood process that
infrequently complicates states of hemodynamic compromise. The right side
of the colon appears to be particularly sensitive to this pathologic event.
In a 25-year-old man, spinal shock from a gunshot injury to the thoracic
spinal cord resulted in right colon necrosis from nonocclusive mesenteric
ischemia. The anatomic and physiologic characteristics of the mesenteric
circulation to the right colon that lead to this risk for nonocclusive
mesenteric ischemia were studied.