LAUSR

Acute mesenteric ischemia is an acute and critical disorder caused by the interruption of mesenteric blood flow. Due to the insidious onset and rapid progression of acute mesenteric ischemia, the disorder is often misdiagnosed clinically and the prognosis is extremely poor, with an overall mortality rate of 60–80% (1). Superior mesenteric artery ischemia accounts for about 40–50% of acute mesenteric ischemia cases (2). The source of most emboli is the left side of the heart, particularly in patients with atrial fibrillation. Early diagnosis and treatment of acute mesenteric ischemia are critical for the prognosis. Delayed treatment may result in intestinal ischemia and necrosis. Traditional treatment modalities include surgical incision and thrombus removal. With the development of endovascular techniques, catheter-directed thrombolysis and mechanical thrombolysis using femoral or brachial artery access have gradually replaced traditional treatment modalities. In recent years, such procedures have been attempted through the proximal radial artery. In 2017, Professor Kiemanei from the Netherlands performed the world's first percutaneous coronary intervention using distal radial artery access at the anatomical snuffbox on the dorsal side of the left hand (3). Preliminary explorations have shown that interventional treatment via left distal transradial access in the anatomical snuffbox is associated with a lower risk of radial artery occlusion and bleeding complications (4). There are no reports concerning the treatment of acute superior mesenteric artery embolism using this approach. In this article, Rotarex mechanical atherectomy was used to treat a case of acute superior mesenteric artery embolism via left distal transradial access in the anatomical snuffbox in our center.