Successful preoperative diagnosis of a rare bowel obstruction: cecal volvulus
Yasushi Hashimoto1, Shigenori Shigemoto, Akira Nakashima
1Department of Surgery, Akiota-town Togochi Hospital, 800-1 Oaza-Togochi, Akiota-cho, Yamagata-gun, Hiroshima 731-3810, Japan. hashimoto_yss@ybb.ne.jp
Abstract:
Cecal volvulus is an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction and is rarely diagnosed correctly at the time of presentation. We report a case in an 86-year-old man presented with an abrupt onset of lower abdominal distension, preoperatively diagnosed as cecal volvulus by abdominal CT. Surgery revealed a 20 cm length of the closed-loop that had rotated in a counter-clockwise rotation. A right hemicolectomy with colonic fixation was subsequently performed; early diagnosis enabled this procedure to be performed in a timely fashion. This case demonstrates the need for clinicians to consider cecal volvulus as a possible cause of acute abdomen. Performing abdominal CT studies in such patients may enable early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention.
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