Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS): A case report of a young patient
Abstract
Introduction Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a compressed celiac artery syndrome, also known as Dunbar syndrome. MALS is a clinically rare syndrome and is usually a diagnosis of exclusion. Diagnosis is a difficult task. Surgery is the treatment of choice, and laparoscopic surgery has promising results. Case presentation A 40-year-old female with no comorbidities presented to her primary physician complaining of chronic abdominal pain, appetite loss, pain after eating, weight loss for about 5 years. Physical examination results were unremarkable. The abdomen/pelvis computed tomography angiography (CTA) was performed and 50% celiac artery stenosis was found. Due to inadequate symptom control and otherwise unremarkable workup, laparoscopic median arcuate ligament release was scheduled. The publication has been reported in line with the SCARE criteria [13]. Clinical discussion The etiology and pathophysiology of Dunbar syndrome are incompletely understood but may be related to both ischemic and neuropathic mechanisms. There are theories that MALS is associated with either a neurogenic or vascular origin for the clinical features, but objective evidence to support these theories is lacking. If MALS is suspected, abdominal/pelvic CTA can be used to verify the location of the celiac trunk. Despite the controversy regarding the pathophysiology, most patients with MALS have a good response to laparoscopic decompression. Conclusions MALS is a rare and incompletely…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study
- A new aging measure captures morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations from NHANES IV: A cohort study
- Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study
- Are noise and air pollution related to the incidence of dementia? A cohort study in London, England
- Long COVID symptoms and duration in SARS-CoV-2 positive children — a nationwide cohort study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.