what is your superior mesenteric artery
Background. Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome is an uncommon but well recognized clinical entity characterized by compression of the third, or transverse, portion of the duodenum between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery.This results in chronic, intermittent, or acute complete or partial duodenal obstruction.ex. More females are affected by superior mesenteric artery syndrome. In one large series of 75 patients with superior mesenteric artery syndrome, two thirds of the cases involved women, with an average age of 41 years; one third of cases involved men, with an average age of 38 years.