The Value of D-Dimer in Diagnosis of Acute Mesenteric Ischemia and Differential Diagnosis from Acute Pancreatitis and Acute Cholecystitis

Objective: Because of its poor prognosis and high mortality rate, early diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is a challenge. The value of serum markers in the diagnosis of AMI is limited and the studies related with the D-dimer test carried out in recent years. In this prospective study we investigated the value of the level of plasma D-dimer in the diagnosis of AMI and the differential diagnosis from acute pancreatitis and acute cholecystitis. Methods: We included 89 patients who admitted to our emergency department with abdominal pain. The number and the diagnosis of the patients were 17 AMI, 42 acute pancreatitis and 30 acute cholecystitis, respectively. We measured the levels of plasma D-dimer of all patients by using a latex agglutination ‘immunoassay’ method. Eventually we calculated the sensitivity and specificity of D-dimer test in the diagnosis of AMI. Results: We determined the specificity of the D-dimer test in the differential diagnosis of AMI as 50% from acute pancreatitis, 70% from acute cholecystitis, 58.3% from all the control group and the sensitivity was 100%. Conclusion: The measurement of plasma D-dimer concentration may be useful in the differential diagnosis of AMI from acute pancreatitis and acute cholecystitis. However, to reveal the diagnostic value of D-dimer test more clearly, further studies with larger series are needed, where cut-off value is highly defined, and other patients with acute abdominal pain are added into the control group. Key words: Acute mesenteric ischemia, diagnosis, D-dimer