title: Superior mesenteric artery syndrome: a rare cause of intestinal obstruction. Diagnosis and surgical management.
abstract: Superior mesenteric artery syndrome is a rare but well-known clinical entity characterized by compression of the third or transverse portion of the duodenum against the aorta by the superior mesenteric artery, resulting in chronic, intermittent, or acute, complete or partial, duodenal obstruction. The treatment for this arteriomesenteric compression includes conservative measures and surgical intervention. The aim of the study was to evaluate our surgical management and outcomes of the patients with superior mesenteric artery syndrome. The cases with superior mesenteric artery syndrome admitted between January 2000 and January 2010 were retrospectively investigated from the patients' records. All six patients had a history of chronic abdominal pain, nausea, postprandial early satiety, vomiting, and weight loss. Diagnostic methods included barium esophagogastroduodenography, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and computed tomography. Medical management was the first step of treatment in all cases before surgery. Of those, four underwent Roux-en-Y duodenojejunostomy and two underwent gastroenterostomy. Postoperative periods were uneventful and mean duration of hospitalization after the operations was 7 days. Conservative initial treatment is usually followed by surgical intervention for the main problem that is the narrowing of the aortomesenteric angle in patients with superior mesenteric artery syndrome. This syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with chronic upper abdominal pain. Duodenojejunostomy is the most frequently used procedure with a high success rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Izmir Bozyaka Education and Research Hospital Ministry of Health, 9207 sokak No:4 Daire:2 Maliyeciler sitesi, Karabağlar Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Savas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yakan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cemil
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Calıskan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Izmir Bozyaka Education and Research Hospital Ministry of Health, 9207 sokak No:4 Daire:2 Maliyeciler sitesi, Karabağlar Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Galip
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Deneclı
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coker
keywords: Diagnosis; Intestinal obstruction; Superior mesenteric artery syndrome; Surgical management