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CC BY 4.0 · European J Pediatr Surg Rep. 2021; 09(01): e76-e79
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735808
Case Report

Primary Segmental Small Bowel Volvulus in an Adolescent Female

Friederike Heidtmann
1   Department of Pediatric Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Klinik für Kinderchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
,
Felicitas Eckoldt
1   Department of Pediatric Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Klinik für Kinderchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
,
Hans-Joachim Mentzel
2   Section of Pediatric Radiology, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology I, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Thüringen, Germany
,
Ilmi Alhussami
1   Department of Pediatric Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Klinik für Kinderchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
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Abstract

Small bowel volvulus is a rare but important cause of abdominal pain and small bowel obstruction in children and adults. In the neonate, small bowel volvulus is a well-known complication of malrotation. Segmental small bowel volvulus is a lesser-known condition, which occurs in children and adults alike and can rapidly progress to bowel ischemia. Primary segmental small bowel volvulus occurs in the absence of rotational anomalies or other intraabdominal lesions and is rare in Europe and North America. Clinical presentation can be misleading, causing a delay in diagnosis and treatment, in which case the resection of necrotic bowel may become necessary.

We report on a 14-year-old girl who presented with severe colicky abdominal pain but showed no other signs of peritoneal irritation or bowel obstruction. An emergency magnetic resonance imaging was highly suspicious for small bowel volvulus. Emergency laparotomy revealed a 115 cm segment of strangulated distal ileum with no underlying pathology. We performed a detorsion of the affected bowel segment. Despite the initial markedly ischemic appearance of the affected bowel segment, the patient achieved full recovery without resection of bowel becoming necessary.

Keywords

abdominal pain - small bowel obstruction - segmental small bowel volvulus


Publication History

Received: 30 January 2021

Accepted: 05 June 2021

Article published online:
24 November 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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