Abstract
To study the incidence of atherosclerotic involvement of the mesenteric ar teries, autopsies were performed on 47 randomly chosen cadavers that were fifty years old or older. The study encompassed: (1) postmortem angiogram; (2) dissection and macroscopic assessment of the main vessels and any possible col laterals ; and (3) a microscopic grading of the cross-sectional area of the proxi mal 2 cm of the mesenteric arteries.
There was a statistically significant preponderance of stenosis among males (83% vs females 67%). The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) had a higher incidence of narrowing (85%) than either the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) (72%) or the celiac artery (CA) (64%). High-grade stenosis (> 50% of the lumen involved) was most common in the IMA (28%), followed by the SMA (17%) and the CA (11%) .
Despite a high incidence of stenosis, a retrospective review of patient charts did not reveal any convincing reports of abdominal complaints. Moreover, only 1 case had dilated collaterals.
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