UMEM Educational Pearls

Question

25 year-old female with hx of cerebral palsy with significant developmental delay, s/p G-tube who presented with acute hypoxic respiratory failure, hypotension and a distended, tense abdomen. A CT was done with the scout film below. What's the diagnosis?

 

 
 

Answer

Answer: Cecal Volvulus

Patient was subsequently intubated, had an NG tube placed with over 500cc of fluid returned. Patient had multiorgan failure and received fluids, antibiotics, pressors, blood products and went to the OR, and had a partial bowel resection. 

One way to differentiate cecal volvulus from sigmoid volvulus is that sigmoid volvulus generally do not have haustra

References

Tonerini M, Pancrazi F, Lorenzi S, Pacciardi F, Ruschi F, et al. (2015) Cecal volvulus: what the radiologist needs to know. Glob Surg, 1: DOI: 10.15761/GOS.1000106.