Diagnosis and Management of Colonic Volvulus

A surgical case report of an epiploic hernia - A mobile right colon herniating through the foramen of Winslow

INTRODUCTION

An Epiploic Hernia is an extremely rare type of abdominal hernia with <0.1 % incidence where the bowel or other intra-abdominal contents herniate through the Foramen of Winslow. A case of an Epiploic hernia in a middle-aged female is presented here.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A woman in her 60s was admitted to a tertiary level hospital with severe right sided intermittent upper abdominal pain associated with nausea, bloating and constipation. The symptoms were thought to be due to biliary colic and managed conservatively. Since the symptoms persisted and a computed tomography scan of abdomen was organized. CT scan showed that the caecum was in the upper left quadrant. A laparoscopy was performed and demonstrated that her right colon was mobile herniating through the Foramen of Winslow into the lesser sac. The hernia was reduced, and the bowel was viable. The patient was discharged with no complications.

DISCUSSION

There have been case reports of small bowel as the content of the hernia with lesser occurrences of caecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, gall bladder, omentum, or Meckel's diverticulum. A caecal herniation through the Foramen of Winslow is reported only with an incidence of 0.02 %. <10 % of these Epiploic hernias are diagnosed preoperatively making it a potentially life-threatening condition if not treated promptly due to high risk of bowel strangulation and mortality of up to 50 %.

CONCLUSION

A high index of suspicion is needed for the diagnosis of this internal hernia and radiological investigation is fundamental in making this diagnosis for allowing prompt surgical treatment.

A Twisted Cecum: Herniation and Volvulus of the Cecum Through the Epiploic Foramen

Herniation of the cecum, terminal ileum, and ascending colon through the epiploic foramen is an uncommon presentation of an internal hernia. An 82-year-old female presented with a small bowel obstruction; Computed Tomography (CT) imaging showed a herniation of the terminal ileum, cecum, and ascending colon through the foramen of Winslow into the lesser sac, with cecal volvulus. Prompt surgical treatment included laparotomy and reduction of the hernia, followed by an extended right hemicolectomy with primary anastomosis and functional closure of the epiploic foramen. This report reviews the natural history and management of this rare pathology.

Sigmoid volvulus: Treatment options and volvulus recurrence

Sigmoid Volvulus (SV) is principally treated with non-operative decompression, whereas it may require surgical management in some situations. Depending upon the treatment method, SV recurs in about one fourth of the cases, which doubles the mortality and morbidity rates. In this paper, we discuss the management and related recurrence of SV in the light of the largest single-center SV series over the world.