Median arcuate ligament syndrome: a clinical case of a rare diagnosi

Volodymyr  Chernyavskyi; Leonid Pavlovskyi; Lesya Gvosdetska; Victoria Tishchenko; Vladislav  Demeshko

doi:10.32345/USMYJ.1(160).2026.32-36

Volodymyr Chernyavskyi Department of Internal Medicine with a Gastroenterology Course, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5831-8810
Leonid Pavlovskyi Department of Internal Medicine with a Gastroenterology Course, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7121-5867
Lesya Gvosdetska Department of Internal Medicine with a Gastroenterology Course, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3973-762X
Victoria Tishchenko Department of Internal Medicine with a Gastroenterology Course, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4157-4428
Vladislav Demeshko Department of Internal Medicine with a Gastroenterology Course, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32345/USMYJ.1(160).2026.32-36

Keywords: Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome, Dunbar Syndrome, Celiac Trunk Compression Syndrome, CT Angiography, Diagnosis, Surgery, Differential Diagnosis

Abstract

median arcuate ligament syndrome, or Dunbar syndrome, is one of the rare syndromes in clinical practice. It is characterized by a diverse clinical picture, which makes its diagnosis difficult and makes it a diagnosis of exclusion. Purpose of the study: analysis of a clinical case - Dunbar syndrome, in order to update the problem for doctors who encounter patients with long-term symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract of unknown origin. Materials and methods. The patient had been troubled by constant abdominal pain, stool disorders, bloating for almost 20 years, and in recent years had experienced significant weight loss. He was repeatedly consulted by various specialists and comprehensively examined using all available methods. For this reason, he constantly took various medications, including antidepressants, but no significant improvement was observed. He was referred for CT angiography, which confirmed compression stenosis of the celiac trunk by the arcuate ligament of the diaphragm. In this regard, the patient was referred to a vascular surgeon. After surgery, the patient's general condition improved, and complaints of pain and other symptoms decreased or completely disappeared for the first time in 18 years. Conclusion: Dunbar syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis at a stage when the nature of the patient's symptoms has no clear explanation.

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