[Duplication of the colon in the adult (author's transl)]

The authors describe 2 cases of duplication of the colon. One was discovered by accident and not treated. The other occurred in a patient with a long story of abdominal pain and had been operated twice with signs of intestinal obstruction. A partial resection of the duplication with the adjoining bowel segment was performed and the digestive tract was reconstructed bij and end-to-end anastomosis. The different forms of duplication are described with their specific features and the current theories about their mode of formation. Finally a brief description of the symptoms and of the available surgical techniques is given.