Acute mesenteric ischemia can be caused by arterial emboli, primary arterial thrombosis, venous thrombosis or a low-flow state (nonexclusive ischemia). Depending on the etiology, the CT signs may vary and it is important to understand the findings in each circumstance and the order in which they occur if we are to make a timely diagnosis while the bowel is still viable. This presentation will review the pathophysiology of acute mesenteric ischemia and relate that to the imaging findings, stressing the most critical findings to identify early on in the course of disease. Methods of altering our scan protocols to improve our ability to obtain a prompt diagnosis will be reviewed, and several cases of mesenteric ischemia will be presented.

By the end of this session, residents will be able to:
- Describe the pathophysiology of the different forms of mesenteric ischemia, and how that relates to the imaging findings
- Describe how to optimize CT protocols to detect mesenteric ischemia while it is still reversible.