ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) describes clinical symptoms in patients with stenosis of the celiac artery due to external compression by the ligament. There is an ongoing debate, whether sole release of the median arcuate ligament warrants long-term relief of the symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients diagnosed with MALS underwent open surgical treatment beginning with the release of the ligament. Systemic pressure and pressure in the left gastric artery were measured before and after division of the median arcuate ligament and release of the celiac artery. In patients with persistent gradient above 15 mm Hg after the release a PTFE bypass was performed. RESULTS: After the release, the pressure gradient decreased from 66 ± 19 to 48 ± 14 mm Hg (p = .001) and therefore in all patients either an aorto-celiac bypass (n = 6) or aorto-hepatic bypass (n = 2) was created. Consequently, the gradient decreased to 7 ± 2 mm Hg (p = .0001). One month postoperatively, three patients were free of symptoms and the rest reported relief of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Release of the celiac artery resulted in insufficient decrease of pressure gradient, which was achieved by bypassing the segment with favorable mid-term outcome. We believe that the effect of the release should always be assessed to decide on subsequent treatment.
Subject(s)
Computed Tomography Angiography/methods , Decompression, Surgical/methods , Intraoperative Care/methods , Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome/diagnostic imaging , Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome/surgery , Abdominal Pain/diagnosis , Abdominal Pain/etiology , Aged , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome/physiopathology , Middle Aged , Preoperative Care/methods , Pressure , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Sampling Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Treatment Outcome , Vascular Resistance/physiology , Vascular Surgical Procedures/methodsABSTRACT
We present a case of a female patient with infectious (mycotic) juxtarenal abdominal aneurysm with atypical symptoms beginning as acute exacerbation of chronic cholecystitis. Apart from common antibiotic treatment, the patient successfully underwent resection of the diseased segment and replacement by a fresh allograft in order to reduce the risk of infection of the graft, but with the need of subsequent life-long immunosuppressive therapy. Perioperative monitoring of the spinal cord by near infrared spectroscopy was used to identify possible spinal ischemia. The choice of the fresh allograft was based on our experience supported by review of the literature.
