[Intestinal infarction (pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy)].

In spite of progress in medical treatment and surgery, intestinal infarctus is still a dramatic clinical event responsible for the death of 80% of all cases involved. The causes of such a remarkable failure rate are due, on one hand, to the precocity of these ischemic intestinal lesions with the resultant serious humoral and septic damage and, on the other hand, to the difficulty and delay in diagnosis. The etiological diagnosis is still more difficult even with the use of angiography which, in any case, cannot be systematically performed on all patients arriving into care. Treatment is based on surgical therapy: intestinal resections with possible subsequent revascularizations and "second looks" and on complimentary medical therapy with vasodilators and anticoagulants. Of 27 cases personally encountered, the total mortality was 70% with a survival rate of 5 cases out of 8 resection operations (62.5%) and of 2 cases out of 5 (40%) embolectomies of the superior mesenteric artery. Significant improvement in results can be obtained by earlier diagnosis obtained by sensitization of cardiologist colleagues and others working in the intensive care units where those patients of high risk are often found.