Gastric volvulus after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with gastrostomy

The authors present the case report of a 13-year-old boy in whom organoaxial gastric volvulus developed four months after a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and placement of gastrostomy. Intraoperative findings were significant for volvulus about an axis defined by 2 fixation points, one at the fundoplication site and the other in the area of the gastrostomy tube, positioned close to the pylorus. Of the 142 pediatric cases of gastric volvulus reported to date, only 7 describe it as a complication subsequent to gastric surgery, and just one case has been reported after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. This case shows that fundoplication and gastrostomy, a recommended treatment for gastric volvulus, does not always preclude its development. Increasing numbers of pediatric surgeons are performing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication procedures. The authors advise surgeons to consider this potentially fatal complication, both intraoperatively when selecting a location for gastrostomy and postoperatively when evaluating complaints.