The median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a cause of chronic abdominal pain affecting both children and adults alike. Chronic abdominal pain is a very common condition that can have significant negative, long-term psychosocial consequences, including increased risk for anxiety, school and work absences, poor functional capacity, and a poor quality of life. While the exact cause of the pain is unknown, compression of the celiac artery and/or the celiac plexus nerves by the diaphragm can result in pain that is worsened with eating or sometimes with exercise. Other symptoms include nausea and weight loss. In some patients the symptoms can be devastating and can lead to erroneous diagnoses of an eating disorder, psychiatric conditions, or functional abdominal pain (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal migraine). The diagnosis is made based on a combination of the clinical symptoms and radiology imaging. There is a surgical procedure that can be performed that is effective in approximately 60-80% of patients.
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