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Doctors who treat Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS)
The following doctors have publicly stated that they treat Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS). This may change over time as doctors shift specialties and retire. Inclusion here is not an endorsement of a doctor’s ability to treat SMAS or any other condition. Always check that a doctor is board certified and has a medical license to provide treatment in your area. You can research doctors in the United States by searching the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) website.
Dr. Hemant Patel
“The patient and his son are now in constant touch with us via phone calls and WhatsApp. He is much better now and is doing his daily activities with ease. Not treating him correctly and promptly could have led to loss of life.” [Source: Bangladeshi Patient Treated for Rare Disorder at Zynova Shalby Hospital, December 10, 2024]
Dr. Oleksandr Kalinchuk
“The essence of this syndrome is that the superior mesenteric artery, one of the largest vessels in the body, compresses the duodenum, through which the food we consume passes.“ [Source: Couldn’t eat and lost a lot of weight: in Lviv, a robot surgeon helped save the life of a 6-year-old girl, November 6, 2024]
Robert Ellis Southard, MD
“I see patients who come to me frustrated because they haven’t been able to find a surgeon who is familiar with operating for SMAS. This can be a complicated procedure, but I have experience in treating it and [it] is very important for a patient to get it fixed.” [Source: Baylor surgeon treats rare condition, November 22, 2023]
Darwin Ang, MD, PhD, MPH
“It really is a potential game changer for people with this disease. They can’t find help, and they’re dying and they’re suffering and they’re in pain, and nobody seems to know what to do, and that’s the problem when you have a rare disease.” [Source: [Archive] Patients around the world seek out Ocala surgeon for procedure that treats rare disease, March 30, 2022]
Prof. Dr. Thomas Scholbach
[Source: A mystery illness and one woman’s decade-long fight against misdiagnosis, July 26, 2019]
Alejandro Vera Garcia, MD
“People who have SMAS are often told they have an eating disorder because they’re constantly vomiting and treat it as a psych issue when in reality they can’t pass any food.” [Source: When an Eating Disorder Is Not an Eating Disorder, November 7, 2017]
Search online to find a doctor who specializes in SMA Syndrome
Find a doctor who specializes in treating SMA Syndrome using the following sites:
What to expect
Your doctor may order tests to diagnose your condition, including:
- Abdominal X-rays
- Upper GI series (X-ray shortly after drinking a barium solution)
- Ultrasound
- Arteriography
- Computed tomography (CT) scan.
Ask your doctor to test your levels of Vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are absorbed in the duodenum.
Once you find a doctor, learn more about Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome so that you can be well-informed at your first appointment.
Start by reading our guide for the newly diagnosed. This guide will help you reset your expectations, think about how you want to share your diagnosis with the world, learn your employment rights and benefits, request your medical records, find a medical specialist, track your symptoms, collect delicious puréed food recipes, and ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need through vitamins and minerals.
Read through the research papers we’ve collected about SMA Syndrome, detailing medical breakthroughs and case studies from around the world.
