The Unfolding Situation of Caecal Volvulus: A Retrospective Analysis of 36 Cases From a Single Center

Background Caecal volvulus (CV) is a rare cause of bowel obstruction. However, there has been a steady rise in the number of cases over the decades. The demographic profile of patients developing CV has changed to a much older population. We conducted a retrospective review to determine the incidence, demographic profile, management, and outcomes of CV patients in our institution during the last nine years. Methodology A retrospective audit of all patients diagnosed with CV at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust between 01 January 2011 and 31 March 2020 was performed. Patients admitted with any other type of volvuli such as sigmoid volvulus, small bowel volvulus, and gastric volvulus were excluded. A systematic search of the electronic medical records for all patients admitted under the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code K562: volvulus was performed for the study duration. It yielded a total of 1,019 patients. After excluding all patients who did not have either a CV or caecal bascule, we included 36 patients in the final analysis. Results Most of our patients were females (78%) with a median age was 76 years. The majority (86%) had at least one medical comorbidity, and 36% had a previous abdominal operation. Abdominal pain was the main complaint in 94% of patients. All patients had undergone a computed tomography (CT) scan to confirm their diagnosis. Most of our patients (84%) underwent surgery. Open right hemicolectomy was the most commonly performed operation (87%). Out of the six patients who did not undergo surgery, three responded to bowel rest and nasogastric tube decompression; one patient underwent successful colonoscopic decompression. In contrast, two patients, unfortunately, passed away. The median length of hospital stay was nine days, with a 30-day mortality of 3%. Conclusions CV remains a rare cause of bowel obstruction. Most of our patients were old, frail, and had medical comorbidities. More than one-third of patients had undergone previous abdominal surgery. Early CT scan followed by right hemicolectomy was associated with low mortality.