Acute bowel ischemia following spinal surgery.

Acute mesenteric ischemia is a morbid condition that may be difficult to diagnose due to nonspecific nature of its symptoms. To our knowledge, such a complication has not previously been reported after spinal surgery via the posterior approach. We describe the case of a 43-year-old woman who developed acute mesenteric ischemia several days after a surgical procedure for a lumbar spondylolisthesis via the posterior route. This chronic course is suggestive for venous intestinal ischemia. Prone position and hypotension during the procedure may have favored blood stasis and mesenteric vein occlusion in this patient with an inherited hypercoagulable state.