Background and aim: We assessed serum procalcitonin (PCT) as a screening test for early detection of ischemic colitis.
Patients and methods: Ninety-three patients (81 men and 12 women) undergoing elective aortic surgery were enrolled in this study. Their mean age was 70.3+/-8.1 years old. Serum procalcitonin was measured postoperatively.
Results: Four patients suffered from colon ischemia. Based on a cut off value of serum PCT>/=2.0 ng/ml, fourteen patients had a false positive but none had a false negative result. Sensitivity was 100%, and specificity was 83.9% in detecting ischemic colitis. Negative predictive vale was 100%.
Conclusion: Serum PCT is a non-invasive test that has a high negative predictive vale in ruling out colon ischemia after aortic surgery.