CASI CLINICI   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2015 July-August;174(7-8):347-50

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

A case of extrinsic compression of the celiac axis (Dunbar Syndrome) in elderly patient

Sonnessa S. ¹, Argento G. ², De Lucia G. ¹, Rauzino J. ¹, Matteoli M. ², Trappolini M. ¹

¹ Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Molecolare, Azienda Ospedaliera Sant’Andrea, Facoltà di Medicina e Psicologia ‑“Sapienza”, Università di Roma, Roma, Italia; ² U.O.C. Radiologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Sant’Andrea, Facoltà di Medicina e Psicologia ‑“Sapienza”, Università di Roma, Roma, Italia

Abdominal pain is among the most frequent causes of hospital admission. Celiac artery compression syndrome (CACS), also known as Dunbar Syndrome is a rare cause of abdominal pain and weight loss, sometimes associated with nausea and vomiting. In this report we present a case of Dunbar syndrome in an elderly patient. The diagnosis was made with CT-angiography of the thoracoabdominal aorta, which showed a stenosis of celiac axis due to compression by median arcuate ligament (MAL). The treatment is typically surgical, but in patients with poor symptomatology is recommended clinical observation, as in the case that we reported.