Figure 9b. Acute mesenteric ischemia in a 76-year-old woman with severe abdominal pain. The patient had undergone successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy 2 days earlier. (a) Multi-detector row CT scan demonstrates focal narrowing of the SMA approximately 2 cm from its origin (arrow). This finding was most likely caused by atherosclerotic plaque. (b) On a CT angiogram, the branches of the SMA appear small and narrowed (arrows), possibly due to vasospasm. The bowel wall (not shown) appeared normal with no evidence of thickening. The CT angiographic findings were confirmed at conventional angiography. The patient was treated conservatively, and the symptoms resolved within a week. The patient was discharged in good condition.