The diagnosis of intraabdominal disease is at times admittedly difficult. Nevertheless, the symptoms, apart from an accurate diagnosis, are not rarely sufficient to justify surgical intervention, which may thus be the means of saving life under desperate circumstances, while, even if it prove to have been unnecessary, little additional risk will have been incurred.
Among the obscure and uncommon disorders of the abdominal cavity is occlusion of the mesenteric vessels, which gives rise to a train of symptoms at times strongly suggestive of intestinal obstruction, and for the relief of which the sole hope resides in abdominal section and removal of the gangrenous bowel. This subject is exhaustively treated in the article commenced in The Journal this week by Drs. Jackson, Porter and Quimby.
Among other American authors Roswell Park1 has recently reported two cases of this condition, both of which terminated fatally, despite prompt operation, and he considers