Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome: A Rare Mimic of Common Causes of Upper Gastrointestinal Obstruction

Rare causes of common symptoms often pose a diagnostic dilemma which can lead to unwanted loss of precious time in proper diagnosis and management. Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome is such a rare disorder. It typically presents with signs and symptoms of upper gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction which can be mimicked by a variety of clinical conditions, such as peptic ulcer, chronic pancreatitis, mesenteric ischemia and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A high degree of clinical suspicion is required to direct proper investigations to narrow down to the correct diagnosis. Multi-detector CT (MDCT) proves to be invaluable not only in ruling out more common conditions mimicking SMA syndrome but also in arriving at the correct diagnosis quickly and effectively with great clinical accuracy and thereby removing confusion and delay in proper management.

SMA: Superior mesenteric artery; GI: Gastrointestinal; MDCT: Multidetector computed tomography; MPR: Multiplanar reconstruction; AMA: Aortomesenteric Angle; AMD: Aortomesenteric distance.How to cite this article: Madhab G, Madsen J, Dalgaard EB, Bharadwaz A. Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome: A Rare Mimic of Common Causes of Upper Gastrointestinal Obstruction. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2014;4(1):58-60.