Patients with May‐Thurner syndrome (MTS) are at elevated risk of developing an extensive left iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT; localized blood clot) due to an anatomical variant where the right common iliac artery compresses the left common iliac vein against the lumbar spine. While MTS was initially presumed to be rare when it was first anatomically defined in 1957, case reports of this syndrome have recently become more frequent, perhaps due to improved imaging techniques allowing for enhanced visualization of the iliac veins. Still, the population burden of this condition is unknown, and there is speculation it may be higher than generally perceived. In the present review, we (a) review history of how MTS became recognized, (b) describe practical challenges of studying MTS in population‐based settings due to the specialized imaging required for diagnosis, (c) discuss why the contribution of MTS to DVT may be underestimated, (d) describe uncertainty regarding the degree of venous compression which leads to DVT, and (e) outline future research needs. Our goal is to raise awareness of MTS and spark additional research into the epidemiology of this condition, which may be an underappreciated causative venous thromboembolism risk factor.

The accuracy of an infrared three-dimensional (3D) body scanner in determining body composition was compared against hydrostatic weighing (HW), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and anthropometry. A total of 265 adults (119 males; age = 22.1 ± 2.5 years; body mass index = 24.5 ± 3.9 kg/m) had their body fat percent (BF%) estimated from 3D scanning, HW, BIA, skinfolds, and girths. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated significant differences among methods (p < 0.001). Multivariate ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of sex and method (p < 0.001), with a non-significant interaction (p = 0.101). Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons identified that BF% from 3D scanning (18.1 ± 7.8%) was significantly less than HW (22.8 ± 8.5%, p < 0.001), BIA (20.1 ± 9.1%, p < 0.001), skinfolds (19.7 ± 9.7%, p < 0.001), and girths (21.2 ± 10.4%, p < 0.001). The 3D scanner decreased in precision with increasing adiposity, potentially resulting from inconsistences in the 3D scanner's analysis algorithm. A correction factor within the algorithm is required before infrared 3D scanning can be considered valid in measuring BF%.

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Objective To evaluate cardiovascular and metabolic function in youths adopted internationally from orphanages/institutions (postinstitutionalized) who were height-stunted at adoption. Study design A total of 30 postinstitutionalized youths (age, 9-18 years; body mass index [BMI] percentile, 7.2-90.4) who were height-stunted at adoption were compared with age- and BMI percentile-matched youths (n = 90). Measurements included total body fat and visceral adipose tissue (dual radiograph absorptiometry), arterial stiffness (augmentation index and pulse wave velocity), cardiac autonomic function (heart rate variability), blood pressure, and fasting lipid, glucose, and insulin levels. Linear regression analyses were computed controlling for parent education, age, trunk tissue fat, height-for-age, sex, and race. Results Compared with controls of the same age, sex, and BMI, the postinstitutionalized children had higher systolic blood pressure (P = .018), augmentation index (P = .033), total cholesterol (P = .047), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .03), triglycerides (P = .048), insulin (P = .005), and HOMA-IR (P = .01) values. The postinstitutionalized children had a lower low-frequency to high-frequency ratio (P = .008), indicating lower sympathetic tone, as well as a lower total lean mass (P = .016), a lower gynoid lean mass (P = .039), and a higher proportion of trunk tissue fat (P = .017). The postinstitutionalized and control children did not differ in any other body composition measures. Conclusions Early life stress, as represented by height-stunted growth in institutional care, may be associated with early pathways to cardiovascular and metabolic risk in youths even after moving into well-resourced homes early in life and in the absence of increased adiposity. These findings suggest that postinstitutionalized youths with a history of height stunting may need to be closely monitored for emergent cardiometabolic risk factors.

In a cohort of youth with a wide range of adiposity levels, central aortic BP was elevated among individuals with SO and associated with BMI but not body fatness.