Transcatheter Treatment of Thromboembolism in the Superior Mesenteric Artery

This woman with a history of atrial fibrillation presented with an acute onset of severe abdominal pain. A scan of the abdominal area was performed after the administration of contrast material. An 88-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and atrial fibrillation presented with an acute onset of severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. She had been taking warfarin for the atrial fibrillation for three years but discontinued the medication against the advice of her physician six months earlier because she was asymptomatic. The physical examination revealed diffuse abdominal tenderness without guarding or rebound. A computed tomographic scan of the abdominal area after the administration of intravenous contrast material showed occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (Panels A and B, arrows). Abdominal angiography, performed within six hours of the onset of . . .