Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Introduction: Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is an uncommon cause of chronic abdominal pain resulting from the compression of the celiac artery. It shares symptoms with chronic functional abdominal pain, a more common cause of pediatric chronic abdominal pain. Typically found in middle-aged females, MALS is a diagnosis of exclusion.

Case Report: A 17-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with periumbilical pain for two months was subsequently diagnosed with MALS through computed tomography angiography. Further vascular and gastroenterology evaluations confirmed the diagnosis, ruling out other common causes of chronic abdominal pain. The patient received non-operative treatment in the form of endoscopic ultrasound celiac plexus block, with the possibility of surgical management if necessary.

Conclusion: Median arcuate ligament syndrome is an uncommon cause of chronic abdominal pain that is difficult to differentiate from other causes, especially in pediatric patients. It should be considered in the patient whose previous workup was not conclusive and symptom management had failed. Management is multidisciplinary with non-operative management preferred initially. If there is no improvement, surgical management should be considered.