Background:

due to high resolution imaging techniques there has been an increase in incidental diagnosis of celiac trunk compression by median arcuate ligament. In fact, only 1 % of the cases of abdominal pain are attached to coeliac trunk compression. Therefore, its incidental finding might lead to a misdiagnosis in those patients with abdominal symptoms.

Case report:

we report a case of a 47 year-old male with abdominal post-pandrial pain, as a result of an esophageal perforation which was initially misdiagnosed, and image techniques suggesting a median arcuate ligament syndrome, with abundant collateral circulation but without signs of intestinal ischemia or arterial thrombosis.

Discussion:

median arcuate ligament syndrome is very uncommon and it is mainly a radiological image finding. Thus it is needed to rule out any other digestive pathology before median arcuate ligament syndrome is diagnosed in patients with abdominal symptoms.

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