A case of upside-down stomach that was effectively treated by postprandial repositioning

An 88-year-old woman with a history of stomach perforation and lumbar compression fracture was admitted to our hospital with a chief complaint of continuous vomiting, which she had experienced since the previous day. She showed vomiting, spontaneous pain and tenderness from the epigastric fossa through the left flank. In addition, she had marked kyphosis. On a CT scan, although the fornix was located in the abdominal cavity, the antrum and body had escaped into the thoracic cavity. A large volume of gastric content was observed. The patient was diagnosed with upside-down stomach from gastric volvulus and a hiatal hernia. Although we recommended surgery, the patient and her family did not agree with it. Thus, conservative therapy was selected. The patient's symptoms showed a significant improvement after the placement of a nasogastric tube, fasting and fluid therapy. After stabilization, an endoscopic examination was performed. The release of the gastric volvulus was confirmed and the nasogastric tube was removed. We instructed the patient to perform postprandial repositioning, which was based on the running shape of the digestive tract with the goal of achieving the passage of food and preventing a relapse of vomiting. The patient was instructed to first place herself in the right lateral decubitus position and then the prone position after eating. There was no recurrence of vomiting after the patient resumed eating. She was therefore discharged from our hospital. Upside-down stomach is usually an indication for surgery. However, in elderly patients, the fixation of the stomach to the abdominal wall has been reported to occur after endoscopic reduction, and conservative treatment was thus selected in this case.We herein reported a case in which postprandial repositioning was used to treat upside-down stomach.