EC Clinical and Medical Case Reports

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome or Wilkie's syndrome is a rare cause of obstruction of the 3rd duodenal portion at the level of the aortomesenteric vascular clamp, often secondary to the disappearance of perivascular adipose tissue following rapid weight loss. Clinical symptoms are dominated by postprandial vomiting and recurrent epigastralgia, but the diagnosis is only confirmed by angioscan, which shows an aorto-mesenteric distance less than 10 mm and an aorto-mesenteric angle less than 22°. Treatment is initially medical, involving correction of malnutrition, and surgery is an alternative if this fails. We report here a rare case of a 52-year-old woman with duodenal obstruction secondary to superior mesenteric artery syndrome, treated by medical therapy.

Keywords: Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome; Wilkie Syndrome; Duodenal Occlusion; Distance Aorto-Mesenteric; Angle Aorto-Mesenteric

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