Coeliac artery compression syndrome: can we believe our ears?

Two patients with coeliac artery compression syndrome' are described.

Symptoms were vague and nonspecific, and the diagnosis was made by finding an epigastric bruit on auscultation of the abdomen and confirming the presence of a vascular lesion by angiography. Both patients were cured by surgical decompression of the coeliac trunk. Auscultation of the abdomen can be a useful part of physical examination in general practice.