Mesenteric venous thrombosis

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Blood thinners (most commonly heparin) are used to treat mesenteric venous thrombosis when there is no associated bleeding. In some cases, medicine can be delivered directly into the clot to dissolve it. This procedure is called thrombolysis.

Less often, the clot is removed with a type of surgery called thrombectomy.

If you have signs and symptoms of a severe infection called peritonitis, you will usually need surgery to remove the intestine. After surgery, you may need an ileostomy (opening from the small intestine into a bag on the skin) or colostomy (an opening from the colon into the skin).

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How well you do depends on the cause of the thrombosis. Getting treatment for the cause before the intestine has died can result in a good recovery.

Intestinal ischemia is a serious complication of mesenteric venous thrombosis. Some or all of the intestine dies because of poor blood supply.

Call your health care provider if you have severe or repeated episodes of abdominal pain.

Review Date: 09/06/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).