A Case of Laparoscopic Ligamentotomy for Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome Diagnosed by Selective Angiography and Intra-Arterial Pressure Measurement

Abstract

Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a condition that causes postprandial abdominal pain and aneurysms due to compression of the origin of the celiac artery by the median arcuate ligament. Diagnostic criteria for this disease have yet to be established. However, the pathogeneses of diseases caused by gastrointestinal function abnormalities have recently been elucidated, and consequently, it is believed that patients with functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome may experience prolonged abdominal symptoms without being diagnosed with MALS. Here, we report a case in which MALS was diagnosed and treated using selective angiography and intra-arterial pressure measurement in a patient presenting with postprandial abdominal pain that was challenging to diagnose.