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Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Multimodality Diagnosis of Mesenteric Ischemia
Published on: July 21, 2023
Small Bowel Obstruction in an Adolescent Boy With No Apparent Risk Factors: A Rare Case of Superior Mesenteric Artery
Brianna Thiessen1, Christine Hickey, Reethamma Daniel
1From the Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, West Islip, NY.
Abstract:
Superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS) is an uncommon condition that can lead to upper gastrointestinal obstruction. Although SMAS is a rare diagnosis, our patient, a 13-year-old adolescent boy with no relevant medical or surgical history, had a classical presentation of the disorder. In this article, we discuss the risk factors, common presentation, and treatment options of SMAS, and why it is important to consider in the differential diagnosis of a pediatric patient presenting with bilious emesis and no other risk factors for intestinal obstruction.
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