Precise diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia using indocyanine green imaging prevents small bowel resection: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is a rare life-threatening condition that causes intestinal necrosis. Prompt intervention is essential to mitigate high mortality. In this report, we describe a case of AMI where precise diagnosis using indocyanine green (ICG) imaging to confirm sufficient bowel perfusion and viability, helped in preventing intestinal resection. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 91-year-old male was diagnosed with AMI associated with superior mesenteric artery thrombosis using computed tomography and underwent exploratory laparotomy. Under white light, there was no outward evidence of small-bowel necrosis. Hence, ICG was used to confirm adequate bowel perfusion and viability. The operation was terminated without resection of the small intestine. When anticoagulation therapy was initiated postoperatively, the thrombus subsided. Although the patient had no subsequent recurrence, he died of dysphagic pneumonia two months after the surgery. DISCUSSION: Physicians often choose to perform trial laparotomy to diagnose intestinal ischemia due to AMI. However, it was difficult to assess the viability of the entire intestinal tract using white light alone, and the introduction of ICG in the evaluation of intestinal perfusion will facilitate the identification and objective evaluation of the intestinal ischemic zone. There have been few reports on application of fluorescent-guided determination of the viable zone of the small intestine, which will help surgeons to make precise diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates ICG fluorescence imaging as a useful method for objectively assessing bowel viability.