1280 Novel Technique of Assessing Intestinal Mucosa in Acute Mesenteric Ischaemia Using a Paediatric Colonoscope

Abstract

Acute Mesenteric Ischaemia (AMI) is a surgical emergency associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Treatment of AMI varies from conservative measures to interventional such as embolectomy or laparotomy and the resection of non-viable bowel. Management is primarily guided by computed tomography findings which, though useful, is limited in the accurate assessment of viable bowel.

This case report describes the novel technique of using a paediatric colonoscope to assess intestinal mucosa in a 56-year-old female with AMI. This technique provided a further investigation that allowed for endoscopic mucosal assessment in a young patient with catastrophic AMI on computed tomography. In this case, this allowed for the accurate visualisation of length of viable bowel, thereby guiding further management as to whether laparotomy and bowel resection would be successful in this cohort of patients.