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.