Sigmoid volvulus in west Africa: a prospective study on surgical treatments

To evaluate the efficacy of different types of surgery, we performed a prospective, randomized trial in 31 consecutively hospitalized patients with sigmoid volvulus. These patients represented 8 percent of 377 cases of emergency surgery. At the time of surgery, the patients were divided into two groups according to the absence (Group A) or presence (Group B) of bowel gangrene. At random, each group was assigned two surgical treatments. Seventeen patients entered Group A and underwent mesosigmoidopexy (seven patients) or resection and primary anastomosis (10 patients). Fourteen patients entered Group B and underwent Hartmann's procedure (eight patients) or resection and primary anastomosis (six patients). Overall mortality was four patients among 31 (13 percent), with a significant prevalence in the group with gangrene (21.4 percent vs. 5.8 percent). In Group A, the rate of success in patients treated with resection-anastomosis was higher than that in patients undergoing mesosigmoidopexy (90 percent vs. 71.5 percent). In Group B, a meaningful difference was observed between the rate of success of patients undergoing Hartmann's procedure and that of those undergoing resection and primary anastomosis (87.5 percent vs. 50 percent). The mortality rates were 12.5 percent and 33.3 percent, respectively. The results of our study show that the therapeutic approach to sigmoid volvulus should be diversified according to the absence or presence of gangrenous colon. The treatment of choice seems to be resection with primary anastomosis in patients with viable colon and Hartmann's procedure in patients with gangrenous colon.