Recurrent Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Diagnosis of Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome

This is a case of a young lady who was admitted multiple times with complaints of inability to digest food and abdominal pain. She had nausea and vomiting for long periods and was unable to tolerate orally. As she was unable to tolerate oral feeding and losing weight, she was started on nasogastric feed (NG feed) and later percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube feeding because NG feed was uncomfortable for the patient and did not alleviate the problem. Clinicians decided to look for alternative causes and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed but no cause was found. Later, fluoroscopy findings favored superior mesenteric artery syndrome. Thus, the feeding tube was changed to percutaneous endoscopic gastrointestinal-jejunal (PEG-J) tube feeding which helped her with her symptoms, and the patient improved clinically after some time and gained weight as well. This case highlights the significance of early suspicion and diagnosis of superior mesenteric artery syndrome. Timely recognition may lead to early diagnosis and management, saving patients from debilitating adverse events.