Wilkie Syndrome, an Unusual Cause of Weight Loss: Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Wilkie syndrome also known as superior mesenteric artery syndrome is an unusual and rarely cause of upper intestinal obstruction and weight loss; It is characterized by duodenal compression in its third portion caused by a narrowing of the space and angle that separates the aorta from the superior mesenteric artery. This narrowing is usually secondary to multiple etiologies, the most accepted being the decrease in mesenteric fat between these arteries. The clinical picture and laboratory studies are usually not very specific, so the diagnosis is based on imaging methods, with computed tomography as the gold standard because it shows a decrease in the aortomesenteric angle and distance. Treatment is generally curative and can be conservative or surgical; this depends on the etiology, the time of evolution and symptoms of the case in question, so it should always be individualized based on patient characteristics.