27 January 2015
: Case report
Congenital Incomplete Fusion of Superior Mesenteric Artery Mimicking Dissection
Mistake in diagnosis, Congenital defects / diseases, Educational Purpose (only if useful for a systematic review or synthesis)
Vasu Keshav SharmaABDEF, Martin Weng Chin H'ngADEFDOI: 10.12659/AJCR.892527
Am J Case Rep 2015; 16:41-44
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Both spontaneous SMA dissection and anatomical variants of GIT vasculature are well known entities. We present a case initially diagnosed as an SMA dissection on CT, but upon detailed review of the imaging findings was considered to be incompletely fused ventral segmental arteries – a rare anatomic variant not well described before. This finding is clinically significant, as it can mimic a vascular dissection and such a wrong diagnosis will lead to unnecessary investigation and intervention.
CASE REPORT: A 62-year-old male patient presented with abdominal pain of uncertain etiology. The initial CT revealed an abnormal appearance of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) which was diagnosed as SMA dissection. However, the appearance of this ‘dissection’ was unusual and there was a mismatch between the clinical presentation and radiological findings. The scan was reviewed and a 3D reconstruction of the abdominal aortal and visceral arteries was performed. The abnormal appearance of the SMA was deemed to be from a congenital anatomical variant. A review of the embryological origin of gut vasculature provides a likely explanation for this appearance.
CONCLUSIONS: Ours is an unusual case of a developmental variant that has not been well described hitherto. Attention to the ancillary radiological signs and understanding the embryological origin of the abdominal vasculature is important to distinguish such variants from pathology.
Keywords: Aneurysm, Dissecting - diagnosis, Diagnosis, Differential, Mesenteric Artery, Superior - radiography, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Vascular Malformations - diagnosis
562 4
In Press
28 Sep 2023 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.940892
28 Sep 2023 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.941668
28 Sep 2023 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.941808
28 Sep 2023 : Case report
Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.940411
Most Viewed Current Articles
06 Dec 2021 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.934406
Am J Case Rep 2021; 22:e934406
07 Dec 2021 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.934347
Am J Case Rep 2021; 22:e934347
13 Jul 2022 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.936441
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e936441
23 Feb 2022 : Case report
DOI :10.12659/AJCR.935250
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e935250