Cecal bascule: an overlooked diagnosis in the elderly

This elderly male with a long history of alcohol abuse presented with an acute pleural trauma and hemopneumothorax, which may have served as the precipitating medical illness for cecal volvulus. He subsequently developed bacterial peritonitis as a complication of his bowel obstruction. It is probable that his pleural cavity was seeded hematogenously via a bacteremia from his peritonitis, thus accounting for the empyema with species typical of bowel flora. Cecal bascule is a type of cecal volvulus that causes intestinal obstruction. Diagnosis is difficult, but a delay in recognition may result in intestinal ischemia, perforation, sepsis, and even death. Cecal ischemia or gangrene cannot always be determined based on physical examination or laboratory findings. Plain films of the abdomen may be helpful, and barium enema has been advocated by some authors. However, laparotomy is often necessary for definitive diagnosis and therapy. While cecal volvulus has not been reported to occur frequently in the elderly, the relatively common occurrence of anatomic predisposition in addition to the widespread use of respirators and the increasing age and number of medical illnesses of our population make it possible that cecal volvulus will be seen with increasing frequency in the future.