[Non-occlusive disease--ultrasound diagnosis and trend analysis as a treatment guideline].

16 patients with angiographically proved NOD underwent immediate abdominal sonography (age: 76 +/- 24 years). All patients suffered from "low cardiac output syndrome". The sonographic criteria were as follows: bowel wall edema [16], hyper-peristalsis [16], free peritoneal fluid [14], and signs of incomplete ileus [14]. 11 patients were successfully treated with conservative therapy on the basis of followup ultrasound observation and analysis. 5 patients underwent operation because of worsening ultrasound findings. These patients died from the underlying cardiac illness.