In medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

, the median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a condition characterized by abdominal pain

Abdominal pain

Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. Making a definitive diagnosis of the cause of abdominal pain can be difficult, because many diseases can result in this symptom. Abdominal pain is a common problem...

 attributed to compression of the celiac artery

Celiac artery

The celiac artery, also known as the celiac trunk, is the first major branch of the abdominal aorta. Branching from the aorta anterior to the upper border of L1 vertebra in humans, it is one of three anterior/ midline branches of the abdominal aorta The celiac (or coeliac) artery, also known as...

 and possibly the celiac ganglia

Celiac ganglia

The celiac ganglia or coeliac ganglia are two large irregularly shaped masses of nerve tissue in the upper abdomen. Part of the sympathetic subdivision of the autonomic nervous system , the two celiac ganglia are the largest ganglia in the ANS, and they innervate most of the digestive tract.They...

 by the median arcuate ligament

Median arcuate ligament

The median arcuate ligament is a ligament under the diaphragm that connects the right and left crura of diaphragm.-Structure:The median arcuate ligament is formed by the right and left crura of the diaphragm...

. The abdominal pain may be related to meals, may be accompanied by weight loss, and may be associated with an abdominal bruit

Bruit

Bruit is the term for the unusual sound that blood makes when it rushes past an obstruction in an artery when the sound is auscultated with the bell portion of a stethoscope.The term "bruit" simply refers to the sound...

 heard by a clinician. It is also called celiac artery compression syndrome.

The diagnosis of MALS is one of exclusion, as many healthy patients demonstrate some degree of celiac artery compression in the absence of symptoms. Consequently, a diagnosis of MALS is typically only entertained after more common conditions have been ruled out.