Recently, I performed another mesenteric artery embolization and intestinal resection anastomosis on a patient with intestinal “stroke”. The surgical procedure and post-operative recovery were extremely dangerous, and the patient’s life was hanging by a thread. At great cost, we were able to bring this poor patient back from the King of Hell. The main reason why this patient went through such a dangerous process is that the patient and his family did not discover the disease in time and delayed the treatment. In view of this, this article makes a simple science on intestinal “stroke”. “Stroke” is a familiar disease to the general public, and generally refers to brain hemorrhage or cerebral infarction. However, our main digestive organ – the intestine can also be “stroke”. A blockage in the blood vessels of the intestine can cause a stroke. The blood supply to our intestines in the abdominal cavity comes mainly from the superior mesenteric artery and the inferior mesenteric artery, which are the important lifelines for supplying blood to the intestines. The superior mesenteric artery supplies the small intestine and about half of the large intestine, and the inferior mesenteric artery supplies about half of the large intestine. Acute embolism of the superior mesenteric artery can easily lead to massive ischemic necrosis of the small intestine, which is fatal and is the most dangerous of all intestinal strokes. Why is an acute blockage of the superior mesenteric artery so dangerous? First, acute blockage of the superior mesenteric artery in humans can easily lead to massive necrosis of the small intestine, which can be life-threatening. Secondly, the biggest risk is that this disease has no typical symptoms and is easily ignored by the general public or even by doctors, thus delaying the best time for treatment. Who is prone to acute intestinal “stroke”? 1, the most dangerous for patients with atrial fibrillation disease, if atrial fibrillation is not effective anticoagulation therapy, then in atrial fibrillation of the heart is very easy to produce thrombus, thrombus is pumped by the heart to the superior mesenteric artery inside will block this blood vessel leads to intestinal necrosis. This type of cause accounts for the majority of such patients treated by the author. 2. Patients with superior mesenteric artery entrapment are also prone to acute embolism of the superior mesenteric artery. 3, elderly patients with arteriosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a systemic lesion, and the arteries of the intestine can also be diseased. This kind of cause will generally lead to the intestinal blood vessels slowly become narrow until occlusion, mainly manifested as chronic ischemic symptoms of the intestine, resulting in acute intestinal necrosis is less likely. How to detect intestinal “stroke” in time? Generally there are some signs before the onset of intestinal stroke, such as a feeling of fullness after meals, discomfort or vague pain in the upper abdomen, which lasts for one or two hours each time; symptoms are aggravated by excessive fat intake or after a full meal, and last longer. The nature of abdominal pain in “intestinal stroke” is as if the stomach is clutched by someone’s hand. This abdominal pain and blood in the stool can sometimes be relieved on its own, but it can recur and last for months or even longer. In addition to abdominal pain, there may also be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and increasing weight loss. Occasionally, acute spasm of the abdominal artery can be induced by overexertion, strenuous exercise, satiety, or mood swings, resulting in severe ischemia of the intestines. This disease cannot be cured with drugs, and if necessary, only surgical removal of the ischemic section of the intestine can be considered. Ischemic colitis occurs mostly in the elderly, about 91% of the time, and most of the ischemic segment of the intestine is located in the left hemicolectomy, so that the patient relieves bright red stools. The typical symptoms of intestinal stroke are acute severe abdominal cramps and blood in the stool, which are not commensurate with abdominal signs. When intestinal stroke occurs, the patient has acute severe abdominal pain, as if the stomach is being held tightly by someone’s hand, and passes bright red stools. This phenomenon can sometimes resolve on its own, but can recur. Especially in middle-aged and elderly people with obvious arteriosclerosis, due to sudden spasm of abdominal arteries, especially mesenteric arteries, or even thrombosis, the blood and oxygen supply to the small intestine and colon is severely deficient or interrupted, which can lead to acute intestinal necrosis and the patient’s state of shock if not rescued in time. Therefore, it is important to seek medical attention when the above-mentioned conditions occur. What should I do if I suspect a “stroke”? Once you suspect a “stroke”, you should immediately go to the hospital for examination and treatment, and promptly investigate whether there is an acute embolism of the superior mesenteric artery. An experienced ultrasonographer can determine this with ultrasound. If the acute mesenteric artery blockage leads to intestinal “stroke”, the golden time for treatment is within 8 hours after the onset of the disease, and if timely surgery can be performed, it usually will not lead to intestinal necrosis and will not cause serious consequences. If the treatment time is more than 24 hours after the onset of the disease, intestinal necrosis is usually difficult to avoid. Therefore, the key to the treatment of this disease is to seize the time, miss the best time to save the treatment is difficult to cure. How is intestinal “stroke” treated? The best way to treat an acute blockage of the superior mesenteric artery is to operate immediately in the abdomen to remove the thrombus and restore blood flow. This is the best treatment available! Another option is to place a thrombolytic catheter in the superior mesenteric artery through a minimally invasive method to dissolve the thrombus with thrombolytic drugs. However, the author recommends open surgery because of its efficacy and the fact that necrotic intestinal tubes can be found during surgery and disposed of in a timely manner. The risk of catheter thrombolysis is that it takes time to work, and the embolism of the main trunk of the superior mesenteric artery is the most delayed! Therefore, unless the diagnosis is confirmed in the hospital within 3 hours of the onset of the disease; otherwise, the traditional surgical approach is more prudent. For chronic intestinal ischemic lesions, the main treatment is antithrombotic therapy, as described below. What can be done to prevent intestinal “strokes”? Patients with atrial fibrillation should be treated under the supervision of a cardiologist to eliminate atrial fibrillation as much as possible and to prevent the formation of blood clots in the heart with adequate doses of antithrombotic therapy. Other patients with atherosclerosis or superior mesenteric artery entrapment should receive antiplatelet therapy, and spending about $10 a month on aspirin enteric tablets can provide a good enough antithrombotic effect. Patients with atherosclerosis should also have lipid control to slow down the development of plaque. Patients with chronic intestinal ischemia symptoms have important dietary modifications and should not overeat and aggravate the intestinal burden.