Abstract
We report a rare case of cecal volvulus in an elderly patient. An 85-year-old woman seen at a clinic for abdominal pain was found in abdominal computed tomography to have medium amount of ascites and a giant colonic gas shadow. Under the diagnosis of intestinal obstruction, she was referred to us for surgical intervention. Plain abdominal X-ray film showed giant intestinal gas evidence at the left lower abdomen, necessitating emergency surgery under a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction due to colonic cancer. Laparotomy showed the ileocecal region to be unfixed to the retroperitoneum and twisted clockwise by 360 degrees, yielding a diagnosis of cecal volvulus. Because the lesion showed necrotic change, we conducted ileocecal resection. The postoperative course was uneventful. Although cecal volvulus is rare as a cause of intestinal obstruction, these cases are expected to increase, requiring consideration of cecal volvulus as a differential diagnosis in intestinal obstruction in the elderly.
