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Abstract:

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS) is a medical condition presenting as a partial or complete upper intestinal obstruction caused by vascular compression of the superior mesenteric artery at the level of the third part of the duodenum. Weight loss is an important risk factor, but also anatomical variants or certain surgical procedures can contribute to the development of superior mesenteric artery syndrome. In the majority of cases SMAS has a chronic course, whereby diagnosis is often difficult because complaints may overlap with a number of functional gastrointestinal disorders. In rare cases superior mesenteric artery syndrome can present as an acute condition, especially after recent scoliosis surgery. The treatment of choice is conservative and surgery is only considered after failure of medical treatment. In this manuscript the medical history of two patients with a different clinical presentation of the superior mesenteric artery syndrome is reported, followed by a brief overview of literature.