Visceral Stenting
If your physician suspects you may have chronic or acute mesenteric ischemia, they may perform additional tests to evaluate your bowel and circulation, such as:
- Doppler ultrasound. Doppler ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves that bounce off of blood cells and blood vessels. This test can determine blood flow and show problems with the structure of blood vessels while it identifies specific arteries that are blocked. It takes some time to perform, however, and its accuracy may be limited by gas in the bowel.
- Computed tomography Angiogram (CTA) scan. A CT scan creates detailed three-dimensional images from x-rays of slices of your body and can determine if there are problems with the arteries.
- Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA) scan. A MRA scan also creates detailed three-dimensional images of your blood vessels from magnetic images of slices of your body. Its use is limited, however, if you have a metal implant in your body, such as a pacemaker or artificial hip.
- Angiogram. An angiogram (also called an arteriogram) is the test of choice, especially for acute mesenteric ischemia when rapid diagnosis is very important. An angiogram uses x-rays to view your body's blood vessels. When the arteries are studied, the test is also called an arteriogram. To create the x-ray images, your physician will inject a dye through a thin, flexible tube, called a catheter, which is threaded into the desired artery from an access point. The access point is usually in your groin but it can also be in your arm. This dye, called contrast, makes blood vessels visible on an x-ray. In some circumstances, treatment through the catheter may also be started at the time of the angiogram.