There’s no one confirmed cause of MALS, though there are several accepted possibilities.
The only treatment for MALS is surgery to decompress the artery.
This is thought to cause abdominal pain.
MALS usually results in severe and chronic abdominal pain.
In this theory, these spasms are believed to be the cause of abdominal pain.
This is may interfere with and cause hypersensitivity in the pain pathways connecting the brain and stomach.
It is likely that a combination of these factors results in the characteristic symptoms of MALS.
It is approximately four times more likely to occur in women than in men.
MALS may also be misdiagnosed as an eating disorder,irritable bowel syndrome, or abdominal migraine.
Diagnosis of MALS is usually made by eliminating other diseases that cause these symptoms.
This makes it what is known as a diagnosis of exclusion.
Individuals with MALS often undergo a significant number of medical tests before a diagnosis is made.
Unfortunately, this also means they spend a lot of time having to cope with their symptoms.
They include:
Once MALS is suspected, vascular imaging is necessary to confirm or rule out the diagnosis.
Other tests that may be used include a gastric tonality test or a celiac plexus nerve block.
The entire procedure takes about 30 minutes.
The pain relief experienced from a celiac plexus block is temporary.
Most people can resume normal activities the day following a celiac plexus block.
Pain relief should last a couple of days at least but everyone is different.
You may experience longer-lasting pain relief the more times that you have this procedure.
MALS Treatment
Surgical decompression of the celiac artery is the only real treatment for MALS.
However, not all people respond to this treatment.
It involves resecting the median arcuate ligament to relieve the pressure on the celiac artery and restore blood flow.
Occasionally, a revascularization procedure of the celiac artery is performed at the same time.
Studies also suggest that a laparoscopic approach may result in better and faster relief of symptoms.
Typically four or five small incisions are made in the abdomen through which the surgeon can work.
Sometimes robotic assistance is used.
Robotic assistance procedures showed high success rates in some studies.
Death due to hemorrhage during this surgery was not reported in the studies used for this article.
However, some patients did require blood transfusions.
Verification of restored blood flow of the celiac artery is confirmed either during the surgery or immediately following.
Individual recovery times vary greatly and may depend on what punch in of surgical approach your healthcare provider used.
It is common to see your practitioner approximately four weeks following surgery for a follow-up.
It may help to read stories about others in your shoes and learn more about supportive resources.
TheNational MALS Foundation’s websiteis a great place to start.
it’s possible for you to also share your story in hopes of helping others.
Frequently Asked Questions
MALS takes place if the median arcuate ligament compresses the celiac artery.
It is unclear why this happens in some people.
However, experts suspect vascular and neurologic components may cause it.
Since MALS shares symptoms with many other digestive disorders, it can be significantly challenging to diagnose it.
MALS does not resolve on its own, but it can be treated with surgery.
Surgical treatment effectively reduces or eliminates symptoms in 60% to 80% of people.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.Celiac artery compression syndrome.
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Median arcuate ligament syndrome.
Cleveland Clinic.Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS).
Cleveland Clinic.Celiac plexus block.
UpToDate.Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS).
