@article{TEXTUAL,
      recid = {10635},
      author = {Skelly, Christopher L. and Stiles-Shields, Colleen and  Goldenthal, Hayley and Bohr, Nicole and Feldman, Estee and  Mak, Grace Zee and Drossos, Tina},
      title = {Median arcuate ligament syndrome: A cost analysis to  determine the economic burden of a rarely diagnosed  disease},
      journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
      address = {2024-01-16},
      number = {TEXTUAL},
      abstract = {&lt;p&gt;Background: Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) is a medical  condition resulting in enormous economic burden and  healthcare utilization costs. One understudied source of  CAP is the median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS). MALS is  often not diagnosed and treated for a variety of reasons,  including the fact that MALS is highly comorbid with  psychological symptoms and psychiatric disorders similar to  CAP. To better inform future work on the study of MALS, we  undertook a pilot study to estimate the economic impact and  public health burden of this condition. We hypothesized  that MALS imposes a significant public health burden.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Methods: Pediatric and adult patients enrolled in a  prospective study undergoing multidisciplinary evaluation  and treatment for MALS at a tertiary care facility were  invited to participate in a brief self-report survey, the  Direct and Indirect Medical Care Impact of MALS Form, to  capture health care resources including procedures,  surgeries, health care visits, and absenteeism (school and  work). To estimate costs from the Direct and Indirect  Medical Care Impact of MALS Form, the medical care usage  data self-reported by patients were converted to dollar  value utilizing FSC-93 billing data and corresponding  current procedural terminology (CPT) codes for procedures  and provider visits one year prior to surgery and then  following surgery. Descriptive analyses were conducted to  characterize the sample in terms of demographics and  reported absences from school and work.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Results:  One hundred and nineteen patients (mean age = 30.9 ± 13.0)  completed the questionnaires, yielding a 57% response rate.  82.4% (n = 98) of the participants were female and 90.8%  (n = 108) were non-Hispanic/Latine white. The mean and  median surgical follow-up periods were 5.3 and 5.4 years,  respectively. Overall, median cost of provider and  ancillary healthcare provider visits for each patient was  (US)19,119 dollars including the pre-operative and  post-operative visits. The mean cost for providers alone  was (US)28,908 dollars. Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests  indicated that the postoperative missed number of days of  school were significantly lower than the pre-surgical  number of missed school days (Z = −3.36, p = 0.001).  Similarly, there were significantly less missed work-days  following surgery than before for the entire sample  (Z = −2.86, p = 0.004).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusion: Median arcuate  ligament syndrome imposes a large economic burden on  patients and the healthcare system. The current findings,  although reflective of a homogenous population, are adding  to a growing body of literature suggesting that healthcare  disparities play a role in the low rates of diagnosis and  treatment of MALS.&lt;/p&gt;},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/10635},
}