Spontaneous dissection of the celiac trunk: report of three cases and review of the literature

Abstract

Spontaneous dissection of the celiac trunk is quite an uncommon medical condition, with few case reports in the medical literature. Sudden epigastric abdominal pain is the most common complaint reported by patients, but due to the rarity of this disease in clinical practice and the nonspecific nature of its symptoms, a high degree of clinical suspicion is needed to establish diagnosis. However, improvements in imaging techniques are facilitating diagnosis of this clinical entity, increasing its detection rate. The ideal treatment has not yet been fully established in the literature and the available therapeutic strategies are conservative medical treatment, surgical revascularization or endovascular intervention. In this article we report on three cases of spontaneous dissection of the celiac trunk and conduct a review of the literature on this disease