none of the above

Q A 20 year old man is undergoing retroperitoneal dissection for a testicular germ cell tumour. The inferior mesenteric artery is divided during reflection of the intestines to expose the retroperitoneum. This can be expected to result in:

• 1. ischemia of the descending colon

  2. ischemia of the sigmoid colon

  3. ischemia of the rectum

  4. ischemia of the transverse colon

  5. none of the above

the inferior mesenteric artery, especially in younger individuals without atherosclerotic occlusive arterial disease, can almost always be sacrificed without complication.