MESENTERIC VENOUS THROMBOSIS AND ANTITHRO MBIN-III DEFICIENCY - DIAGNOSIS AFTER ACUTE GASTROINTESTINAL-BLEEDING

Mesenteric venous thromboses are often associated with antithrombin II I deficiency. We can suspect this clinical diagnosis in patients with nonspecific abdominal pain syndrome and personal or familial history o f mesenteric venous thrombosis. We report the case of a 63-old-male ca ucasian with antithrombin III deficiency and octal bleeding who was di agnosed with mesenteric venous thrombosis at exploratory laparotomy. T his case emphasizes the necessity of a careful history in all patients without an obvious diagnosis. In this way, we can invoke the diagnosi s of mesenteric venous thrombosis quickly and begin the heparin therap y while waiting for the results of further confirmatory tests (J Mal V asc 1997; 22 : pages 361-361).