Dunbar (Or Median Arcuate Ligament) Syndrome: A Case Series

Dunbar syndrome (DS) (or Median arcuate ligament syndrome) is a rare entity of the vascular compression syndrome, where there is focal proximal coeliac axis compression by Median arcuate ligament (MAL). It results in an insufficient supply of blood to the respective organs of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) is a very convenient non-invasive modality in diagnosing this condition and helpful in distinguishing it from other conditions, such as atherosclerotic disease. DS can further be treated disorder surgically by relieving the compression and sometimes may need vascular reconstruction. We present five cases of the DS.

Intraoperative trans-esophageal echographic evaluation of the celiac artery flow after arcuate ligament resection in a case of Dunbar Syndrome. A case report

Dunbar Syndrome (DS), also known as Median Arcuate Ligament (MAL) syndrome, is a rare disease in which the celiac trunk is compressed by a fibrous attachment at the diaphragmatic crura causing abdominal angina with a large spectrum of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and postprandial epigastric pain.

The role of ultrasound imaging in vascular compression syndromes

Vascular compression syndromes are rare alterations that have in common the compression of an arterial and/or venous vessel by contiguous structures and can be congenital or acquired. The best known are the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Nutcracker Syndrome, May–Thurner Syndrome, and Dunbar Syndrome. The incidence of these pathologies is certainly underestimated due to the non-specific clinical signs and their frequent asymptomaticity. Being a first-level method, Ultrasound plays a very important role in identifying these alterations, almost always allowing a complete diagnostic classification. If in expert hands, this method can significantly contribute to the reduction of false negatives, especially in the asymptomatic population, where the finding of the aforementioned pathologies often happens randomly following routine checks. In this review, we briefly discuss the best known vascular changes, the corresponding ultrasound anatomy, and typical ultrasound patterns.

Compression of the сeliac trunk syndrome. History of the problem

The article presents the main stages of the development of ideas about a fairly rare pathology in clinical practice the syndrome of compression of the ventral trunk. Until the mid-nineteenth century, reports of the clinical picture of chronic abdominal ischemia were more descriptive. Serial pathoanatomic studies, comparison of anatomical features revealed at autopsy with clinical manifestations accompanying these changes, contributed to the isolation of chronic ischemic disease of the digestive system in a separate nosological form. The discovery of angiography contributed to the significant development of vascular surgery and the isolation of the ventral trunk compression syndrome as an independent disease, since it allowed for a lifetime comparison of the detected changes in blood vessels with the clinical manifestations of the disease. The term ventral trunk compression syndrome was first introduced by P. Harjola when describing a case of abdominal pain in a patient with compression of the ventral trunk by the neuroganglionic tissue of the ventral plexus. Later, J. Dunbar confirmed the Association of clinical manifestations of chronic abdominal pain with compression of the ventral trunk by the median arched ligament of the diaphragm. In English-language literature, the disease was named Dunbar syndrome. The effectiveness of eliminating the symptoms of this disease by surgical dissection of compression structures has been proven. Further study of this problem developed in parallel with the development of surgery in General in accordance with the emergence and introduction of new surgical technologies. The purpose of numerous studies was to study the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of the occurrence of a variety of clinical manifestations of this syndrome and improve the results of its treatment by improving known surgical techniques and introducing new ones.

Persisting bleeding from the duodenal ulcer in patients with occlusion of the celiac trunk: a case report

Introduction: Endoscopic measures have continued to be the primary procedures in the management of ulcer bleeding. Nevertheless, in cases of failed endoscopic hemostasis and re-bleedings, endovascular techniques have gradually gained increased acceptance as an alternative to surgery, allowing to avoid surgical intervention in some cases. Case report: A case of a 42-year-old patient presenting to the authors’ institution with massive bleeding from the duodenal ulcer, sprang from a pathologically enlarged gastroduodenal artery is reported. This vascular anomaly was a consequence of occlusion of the coeliac trunk (Dunbar syndrome), which was shown on an angio-CT scan. In spite of several endoscopic and endovascular measures, as well as three operations, the bleeding persistently recurred (a total of 6 episodes) and the patient eventually died. The article presents details of operative and endovascular treatments. Contemporary trends in management in cases of failed endoscopic interventions and re-bleedings form peptic ulcers are shown in the discussion.

Persisting bleeding from the duodenal ulcer in patients with occlusion of the celiac trunk: a case report

Introduction: Endoscopic measures have continued to be the primary procedures in the management of ulcer bleeding. Nevertheless, in cases of failed endoscopic hemostasis and re-bleedings, endovascular techniques have gradually gained increased acceptance as an alternative to surgery, allowing to avoid surgical intervention in some cases. Case report: A case of a 42-year-old patient presenting to the authors’ institution with massive bleeding from the duodenal ulcer, sprang from a pathologically enlarged gastroduodenal artery is reported. This vascular anomaly was a consequence of occlusion of the coeliac trunk (Dunbar syndrome), which was shown on an angio-CT scan. In spite of several endoscopic and endovascular measures, as well as three operations, the bleeding persistently recurred (a total of 6 episodes) and the patient eventually died. The article presents details of operative and endovascular treatments. Contemporary trends in management in cases of failed endoscopic interventions and re-bleedings form peptic ulcers are shown in the discussion.