Volvulus of the stomach: an African series and a review

A radiological diagnosis of gastric volvulus (GV) was made in 11 of 576 consecutive upper gastrointestinal series at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, over a two-year period. The clinical symptoms were thoracico-abdominal in three and abdominal in eight; these cases were evaluated as acute in three, acute upon chronic in two, and chronic in six. There was a significant delay in the diagnosis in all cases (except a neonate in the series), and no case was diagnosed on clinical grounds alone.THE PREDISPOSING FACTORS (EXCEPT THE CLINICAL MISDIAGNOSIS OF THE NEONATE) IN SIX OF THE SEVEN CASES THAT CAME TO SURGERY WERE: diaphragmatic hernia and perigastritis (left lung abscess, thoracic empyema), arteriomesenteric compression of the duodenum in pregnancy (peptic ulcer), splenomegaly (hepatosplenomegaly, ascites, esophageal varices), previous gastrojejunostomy (stomal ulcer, left subphrenic abscess) and two cases of intestinal malrotation with mesenteric abnormalities (small bowel obstruction in one and duodenal atresia in the other). In one idiopathic case, gastric outlet obstruction was clinically suspected prior to surgery. Thus, the putative rarity of GV in black Africans is not supported by this experience.Gastric volvulus is a clinico-radiologic entity that may present with a confusing thoracico-abdominal symptom complex. A greater awareness of the radiologic features is quintessential to an expeditious and usually successful surgical management that will avoid potentially serious complications. Negative surgical findings do not exclude GV as the underlying cause of acute abdomens necessitating emergency laparotomies.