Sigmoid volvulus treated by mini-incision

Definitive surgical management of sigmoid volvulus is usually via a midline laparotomy or laparoscopy. We report our experience with a series of five consecutive cases over a 10-year period. All patients had definitive surgery via a left iliac fossa mini-incision after prior decompression. For four patients, it was the first episode of sigmoid volvulus and one patient had a recurrent sigmoid volvulus after previous sigmoid colectomy. The latter patient had pan colonic megacolon diagnosed at initial surgery. All five cases were surgically treated successfully via a mini-incision on the left iliac fossa. There were no instances of recurrence at a median follow-up duration of 95 months (range 7-132 months). A left iliac fossa mini-incision is sufficient for the definitive management of non-perforated sigmoid volvulus. Larger studies are warranted to draw definitive conclusions.