Epidemiology and prognostic factors in acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion.

Background: Reports on trends in incidence and mortality of acute superior mesenteric artery (SMA) occlusion and evaluation of prognostic factors in recent years are lacking.

Methods: Patients with acute SMA occlusion were identified through the in-patient and autopsy registry between 1970 and 1982 (n = 270), 1987 to 1996 (n = 135), and 2000 and 2006 (n = 100) in Malmö, Sweden.

Results: The overall incidence rate decreased from 8.6 to 5.4/100,000 person years and the autopsy rate from 87% to 25% over time. A higher serum creatinine level was associated with a lower probability of undergoing multi-detector row computed tomography with intravenous contrast (MDCTiv) (p = 0.006). Not performing a MDCTiv (odds ratio 4.0; 95% confidence interval [1.0-16.0]) remained as independent prognostic factor for in-hospital mortality. General and vascular surgeons collaborated in 25 out of 61 patients that underwent an intervention, of which 21 (84%) (p < 0.001) survived.

Conclusions: A close collaboration between radiologists and general and vascular surgeons seems to be most important to lower the mortality in patients with acute SMA occlusion.