Idiopathic Small Bowel Volvulus: A Case Report

Abstract

Idiopathic small bowel volvulus is a rare cause of acute intestinal obstruction by strangulation in adults and is defined by the twisting of a segment of the small bowel around its mesenteric axis with no obvious underlying congenital or acquired cause. This article reports the case of a 56-year-old patient, chronic smoker and cannabis user, who was admitted with febrile occlusive syndrome and generalized abdominal contracture. The abdominal CT scan showed a distension of the small intestines upstream of a probable small bowel volvulus, associated with signs of digestive distress. Surgical exploration revealed a large peritoneal effusion of distressed fluid, with a volvulus of the distal small bowel causing 1.80 m of small bowel and coecum necrosis from 2.20 ADJ without rotational abnormality or docking defect.