The aim of our study was to assess the feasibility of using Doppler sonography for the detection of acute intestinal ischemia due to occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. Between September 1993 and March 1995, abdominal sonography with Doppler imaging of the mesenteric vessels was performed in 770 patients with emergency admissions for acute abdominal pain. In six cases, the diagnosis, based on surgery or arteriography and computed tomography, was acute intestinal ischemia due to complete or localized occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. Five cases of occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery were correctly detected by Doppler sonography. These results suggest that Doppler sonography may be a feasible method for detecting acute intestinal ischemia due to proximal superior mesenteric artery occlusion.