Normal Range of Superior Mesenteric Artery in Young Chinese Population and Its Correlation With Retroperitoneal Adipose Tissue
Normal Range of Superior Mesenteric Artery in Young Chinese Population and Its Correlation With Retroperitoneal Adipose Tissue
In literature, superior mesenteric artery (SMA) angle, also named as aortomesenteric angle
 (AMA), varies greatly in both adult and children; while the aortomesenteric distance also
 ranges widely. Both AMA and AMD are influenced by retroperitoneal fat. Decrease of AMA and
 AMD may lead to the superior mesenteric artery syndrome(SMAS), which is a rare medical
 condition mainly presenting with duodenum obstruction. To our knowledge, normal range of AMA
 and AMD in local young Chinese population remain unclear; on the other hand, there have only
 a few studies exploring the relationship between them. This project proposes to establish the
 normal range of AMA and AMD in local young Chinese population, and to further investigate how
 the retroperitoneal adipose tissue correlates with AMA and AMD. The normal range obtained in
 this proposed study will provide more specific reference value to distinguish abnormal AMA
 and AMD, and to improve the diagnosis accuracy of SMAS in local population. Moreover, this
 study will provide deeper insight concerning the impact of retroperitoneal fat on AMA and
 AMD.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  With age range of 10-35 years old.

 -  Chinese ethnicity.

 -  With abdomen contrast CT.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Any patients with diagnosis of SMAS will be excluded from the Non-SMAS group.

 -  Patients who had undergone more than one CT scan during the research period.

 -  Previous retroperitoneal, abdominal surgery.

 -  Conditions causing significant weight loss, e.g. anorexia nervosa, malabsorption.

 -  Presence of abdominal masses or pathology that will affect the anatomy of aorta-
 superior mesenteric artery and the retroperitoneal structures.

 -  Presence of severe scoliosis and/or history of spinal fixation that may increase
 incidence of SMA syndrome.

 -  Presence of free intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal fluid that may affect fat
 measurement, e.g. following trauma, or ascites.