MALS occurs when the median arcuate ligament compresses the celiac artery, causing abdominal pain after eating.
✦ AI summary
Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) happens when a band of tissue (the median arcuate ligament) presses on the celiac artery, the main blood vessel feeding the upper abdomen, sometimes causing pain after eating [2][3][6][7]. Cases in the sources describe people—including a young woman with years of after-meal abdominal pain, a young man with weight loss and multiple compressed arteries, and children/teens—being treated with surgery to release the ligament (median arcuate ligament release), often done laparoscopically [2][3][7]. This surgery can relieve symptoms, but outcomes vary: one large pediatric study found about 61% of patients had lasting symptom relief without recurrence, with few complications, though a notable portion still had symptoms return or persist [7]. In some cases, surgery alone isn't enough, and doctors add procedures like balloon angioplasty (widening the artery) to improve blood flow [2]. MALS can also be linked to rare complications, such as aneurysms (bulges) in nearby small arteries that form because blood reroutes around the blocked celiac artery — sources describe cases where these aneurysms bled and required emergency treatment with coil embolization (blocking the
This is an AI-generated summary of the sources below — not medical advice. Always talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
Abdominal pain after eatingWeight lossNauseaFood fearFatigueVomiting
Molecular detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in questing ticks: One year of sampling in Bologna (Northern Italy).
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) includes several genospecies responsible for Lyme borreliosis (LB), a major zoonotic disease transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks. In Western Europe, LB incidence has risen in recent decades, with documented expansion into previously non-endemic regions. A cross-se…
Stepwise management of median arcuate ligament syndrome with visceral artery aneurysm: Surgical ligament release followed by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.
A woman in her 20s presented with an 8-year history of postprandial abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed severe stenosis at the origin of the celiac artery, collateral circulation from the superior mesenteric artery, and an associated inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery ane…
Outcomes of pediatric median arcuate ligament release: A single-center experience.
Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a rare condition caused by compression of the celiac artery by the median arcuate ligament. The surgical treatment for MALS is a median arcuate ligament release (MALR). While outcomes of MALR are well described in adults, pediatric data remain limited. Leve…
Embolization of spontaneous retroperitoneal bleeding fed by aneurysmal arc of Bühler: Case report and technical considerations.
The arc of Bühler (AOB) is a rare embryonic anastomosis between the celiac artery and the superior mesenteric artery, which may become a crucial collateral pathway in cases of celiac axis stenosis. We report a challenging case of a 70-year-old woman presenting with hemorrhagic shock owing to a bleed…
Median Arcuate Ligament Compressing Multiple Arteries in a Young Man Treated by Surgical Release.
Background: Asymptomatic compression of celiac artery (CA) by median arcuate ligament (MAL) is quite common, but simultaneous compression of other arteries by MAL is very rare. Case details: A 20-year-old man presented with post-prandial epigastric pain for the past 1 year and a 5 kg weight loss. On…
Inhibition of Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription reduces nociceptive sensitization in a murine model of complex regional pain syndrome.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disabling condition relying in part on the production of pain-supporting autoantibodies. The Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling system regulates the adaptive system of immunity and is targeted to control autoi…
Caffeic acid attenuates stress-induced colon inflammation and barrier disruption in Sprague-Dawley rats.
Chronic stress promotes colonic inflammation by sustaining activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, inducing oxidative stress, and disrupting barrier integrity, thereby exacerbating inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore, there is a need for therapeuti…