Duodenojejunostomy following failed gastrojejunostomy in superior mesenteric artery syndrome: A case report

Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome is a rare duodenal-vascular anatomic disorder leading to external compression on the duodenum. The first step of treatment usually is conservative, and in the case of failure, surgical management is the treatment choice. Treatment success with duodenojejunostomy after failure in gastrojejunostomy can show the uniqueness of this article.

A 14-year-old boy came to our hospital with a complaint of epigastric pain, nausea, bilious vomiting, and weight loss since 6 months ago. Conservation therapy and laparotomic Braun anastomosis and gastrojejunostomy was performed due to the SMA syndrome diagnosis 2.5 months before the admission. At our hospital, an alteration of gastrojejunostomy by duodenojejunostomy employing a diamond-shaped anastomosis between the third portion of the duodenum (D3) and a part of jejunum that was placed 15 cm away from the ligament Treitz was done. A significantly dilated stomach and the first three parts of the duodenum were observed during the procedure. After the second surgical intervention, the general condition of the patient dramatically improved.

Conservative treatment, including nasogastric tube decompression, postural changes, and nutritional support with hyperalimentation, has a variable success rate. However, in some cases, surgery may be necessary. Surgeons prefer laparoscopic duodenojejunostomy due to its outstanding success rate, ranging from 80 % to 100 %. But, in some case reports it is suggested that gastrojejunostomy could be done in cases with severe duodenal dilation instead of duodenojejunostomy. The initial gastrojejunostomy failed because of ongoing symptoms, which was finally revised with a duodenojejunostomy.

It is suggested to use duodenojejunostomy after failure of gastrojejunostomy or it can be employed as the first surgical option even in cases with severe dilation. Because it is a more efficient correction with fewer complications than gastrojejunostomy.