Mesenteric Infarction

Mesenteric infarction manifests as an acute abdomen in the later stages, but earlier on there is often severe abdominal pain with little in the way of abdominal signs.

In a patient with abdominal pain but few signs, an elevated WBC count and the presence of acidosis should always raise the possibility of mesenteric ischaemia / bowel infarction, especially if the patient is an arteriopath.