Correspondence (letter to the editor): Fatal Outcome

The authors pointed out the necessary diagnostic evaluation using biphasic contrast-enhanced computed tomography. However, nearly all patients with acute mesenteric ischemia have multiple comorbidities and vascular damage, and have correspondingly poor renal function. For this reason, radiologists often argue that contrast-enhanced CT cannot be undertaken.

This ignores the fact that the alternative to further renal damage caused by the contrast medium is death.

CT before exploratory laparotomy will therefore be possible in very few cases only.