Acute Mesenteric Ischemia after Recurrent Embolic Stroke

We report the case of a 76-year-old woman with acute mesenteric artery ischemia and atrial fibrillation after recurrent embolic strokes. She had sudden severe abdominal pain and vomiting, and was admitted to the hospital in coma and shock state. Accompanied with metabolic acidosis and multiple organic failures, she died at 13 hours after the onset. Pathological examination revealed that acute thrombotic occlusion of superior mesenteric artery, splenic artery and right celiac artery. The occluded arteries pathologically showed progressive arteriosclerotic change and secondary multiple thrombi. This case demonstrated that atrial fibrillation with recurrent embolic stroke could cause mesenteric artery ischemia, progressive thrombi of abdominal viscera and sudden death.