THE USE OF INTRAPERITONEAL XENON FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE MESENTERIC ISCHEMIA

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 95  (4) , 404-411
Abstract
The technique of i.p. use of 133Xe, previously described for the diagnosis of early intestinal strangulation obstruction in rats and dogs, for the recognition of acute mesenteric vascular occlusion was evaluated in these animals. 133Xe was injected i.p. into 5 groups of 6 rats each: control, sham operation, superior mesenteric artery (SMA) ligation, superior mesenteric vein ligation and portal vein ligation. Residual .gamma.-activity was monitored by external counting and camera imaging. At 30 min after injection, the activity was significantly higher in the rats from the 3 groups with vascular ligation than in the control and sham operation animals (P < 0.001). .gamma.-Camera images reflected these findings, wih positive images only in the rats that underwent vascular ligation. Blinded readings of the 30 sets of scans confirmed the diagnostic accuracy of the images. Results were essentially the same in a 2nd series of experiments in 8 control dogs and 6 dogs with balloon occlusion of the SMA. Concentrations of isotope in ischemic intestine ranged from 103 to 105 times the levels in adjacent normal bowel. These levels and the positive images appeared early, prior to the development of tissue necrosis. The i.p. use of 133Xe therefore continues to show promise for the recognition of patients with early intestinal ischemia.