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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Radiol Clin North Am. 2015 Nov;53(6):1241–1254. doi: 10.1016/j.rcl.2015.06.009

Table I. Major Clinical and CT Findings of Bowel Ischemia.

Features Arterial
Ischemia
Venous
Ischemia
Non-occlusive
Ischemia
Incidence 60-70% 5-10% 20-30%
Acuity Acute or chronic Acute or chronic Acute or chronic
Clinical Risk
Factors
Cardiovascular disease:
Atrial fibrillation, post-
Myocardial infarction, aortic
injury, atherosclerosis.
septic emboli. systemic
vasculitis.
Bowel
strangulation,
hypercoagulable
state, portal
hypertension,
venous trauma,
infection
Hypotension,
heart failure,
recent surgery
or trauma,
medications
including
recreational
Vasculature Arterial filling defect, severe
arterial narrowing,
dissection, aneurysm
Venous filling
defect, often with
enlarged venous
diameter
Non-specific
Bowel Wall
Thickness
May be thin acutely, but
may be thickened and
involved with hematoma,
edema, or inflammation
Thickened and
edematous
Generally
thickened
Bowel Wall
Enhancement
Variable; diminished or non-
enhancement in regions of
pale ischemia;
hyperenhancement in areas
of reperfusion
Diminished
enhancement of
mucosa and
serosa, target
appearance
Diminished
enhancement
Mesentery/Fat Mesenteric fat stranding
with free fluid associated
with the territory of ischemia
Mesenteric fat
stranding with
free fluid
associated with
the territory of
ischemia
Mesenteric fat
stranding with
free fluid
associated with
the territory of
ischemia