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World Journal of Surgery and Surgical Research
2020 | Volume 3 | Article 1236 1
Gastric Volvulus: A Challenge to Diagnosis and
Management
OPEN ACCESS
*Correspondence:
Faisal El Mouhafd, Department of
Visceral Surgery, Mohammed V Military
Teaching Hospital, Ryad, Rabat,
Morocco,
E-mail: faisalmohafd@gmail.com
Received Date: 01 Jun 2020
Accepted Date: 03 Jul 2020
Published Date: 07 Jul 2020
Citation:
El Mouhafd F, Yaka M, Bounaim
A, Moujahid M. Gastric Volvulus:
A Challenge to Diagnosis and
Management. World J Surg Surgical
Res. 2020; 3: 1236.
Copyright © 2020 Faisal El
Mouhafd. This is an open access
article distributed under the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly
cited.
Case Report
Published: 07 Jul, 2020
Abstract
Introduction: Gastric Volvulus (GV) is a rare disease. Te exact incidence of GV is unknown and
patients with a chronic presentation may never be diagnosed. Te peak age group of incidence is
in the ffh decade. Te volvulus can be classifed as organoaxial and mesenteroaxial. Te clinical
presentation of gastric volvulus depends on the degree of rotation and the rapidity of onset.
Case Presentation: An 86-year-old man came to the emergency department presenting with
abdominal pain of 48-h progression with dyspnea, nausea with no vomiting. Nasogastric tube
placement was unsuccessful. An abdominal computed tomography scan was revealed a volvulus
gastric with pneumoperitoneum. Emergency surgery was indicated and a typical gastrectomy was
performed.
Conclusion: Acute GV usually presents with Borchardt’s triad. With the advent of CT and
laparoscopic surgery, the gold standards for diagnosing and treating this disease are ever evolving.
Surgical treatment should be performed according to aetiology and to patient’s characteristics.
Keywords: Gastric volvulus; Management of gastric volvulus; CT
Faisal El Mouhafd*, Mbarek Yaka, Ahmed Bounaim and Mountassir Moujahid
Department of Visceral Surgery, Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, Morocco
Abbreviation
GV: Gastric Volvulus; CT: Computed Tomography
Introduction
Acute gastric volvulus is rare clinical condition and is considered a medical emergency and
defned as the pathological rotation of the stomach by more than 180° [1-2]. It was frst described in
1866 by Berti based on the autopsy of a 61-year old woman [3]. Te peak age group of incidence is in
the ffh decade with children less than one year old making up 10% to 20% of cases. No association
with either sex or race has been reported [4,5]. In 30% of cases the volvulus occurs as a primary
event, but it is more commonly secondary to another cause [4,6]. Clinical presentation may vary
from occasional non-specifc symptoms to life-threatening situations [7]. Te main consequence
of the disorder is foregut obstruction that may be acute, recurrent, intermittent or chronic
[5,8,9]. Furthermore, there is a risk of strangulation which may result in necrosis, perforation
and hypovolemic shock. As such, the mortality rates for acute volvulus range from 30% to 50%
highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and treatment [4,6,9,10].
Case Presentation
An 86-year-old man came to the emergency department presenting with abdominal pain of 48-h
progression that initially was epigastric and then became generalized. Her other symptoms were
epigastric pain with dyspnea, nausea with no vomiting, and a progressively deteriorating general
health status; as the hours progressed, the level of consciousness began to diminish. Upon arrival
he presented with hypotension (blood pressure 75/40 mmHg), tachycardia (130 bpm), tachypnea
(28 rpm), and desaturation (SaO
2
: 85%). Te frst examination revealed a distended and tympanic
abdomen with difuse pain upon palpation and obvious signs of generalized peritoneal irritation.
Nasogastric tube placement was unsuccessful. Blood analysis showed elevated levels of C-reactive
protein and procalcitonin – 110 mg/l and 282 ng/ml, respectively -, leukopenia (1,200 l/ml), acute
renal failure (urea of 69 mg/dl and creatinine of 1.68 mg/dl), and hypoxemia with compensated
metabolic acidosis. Electrocardiogram results showed no signs of acute myocardial ischemia.
Crystalloid and colloid resuscitation was begun due to the symptoms of shock, and once the
hemodynamic parameters improved, an abdominal computed tomography scan was carried