“Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) accounts for approximately 1:1000 acute hospital admissions in the United States, and the incidence is on the rise likely due to an aging population as well as the prolonged survival of critically ill patients. AMI can be caused by a reduction in blood flow from arterial occlusion, venous occlusion, arterial vasospasm, or a low-flow state. Regardless of the etiology of the disease, rapid diagnosis and treatment of AMI is of critical importance”

“The need for adjunct intraoperative techniques for the assessment of bowel viability in acute mesenteric ischemia is clear. Tissue oxygenation, myoelectrical activity, and perfusion are hallmarks of healthy bowel that show promise as avenues for intraoperative diagnostics in AMI. Currently, flowmetry with Doppler ultrasonography and fluorescein dye are the preferred methods employed in the operating room, with fluorescein flowmetry viewed as the
gold standard due to efficacy and ease of use. The potential for combining modalities for intraoperative bowel assessment has been shown, and remains an avenue for further study.”

Bryski, Mitchell G et al. “Techniques for intraoperative evaluation of bowel viability in mesenteric ischemia: A review.” American journal of surgery vol. 220,2 (2020): 309-315. Full Text for Emory Users