Case Report
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2012; 18(40): 5826-5829
Published online Oct 28, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i40.5826
Midgut volvulus due to jejunal diverticula: A case report
Jia-Li Hu, Wei-Zhong Chen
Jia-Li Hu, Wei-Zhong Chen, Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai 200003, China
Author contributions: Hu JL wrote the manuscript; Chen WZ revised the paper.
Correspondence to: Dr. Jia-Li Hu, Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, No. 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China. shalley1@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-21-81885344 Fax: +86-21-81885345
Received: May 23, 2012
Revised: September 10, 2012
Accepted: September 19, 2012
Published online: October 28, 2012
Abstract

Jejunal diverticulosis is uncommon and often asymptomatic. It can produce significant complications, and some complications are potentially life threatening and require early surgical treatment, such as obstruction, hemorrhage and perforation. There is no consensus on the management of this disease. Only a few cases of jejunal diverticulosis with midgut volvulus have been reported. We herein report a case of 57-year-old woman with jejunal diverticulosis causing small bowel volvulus who complained of intermittent upper abdominal pin-prick for 5 years that eventually progressed to a complete obstruction. The computed tomography scans revealed a mesenteric vessel "whirlpool" and laparotomy showed midgut volvulus secondary to jejunal diverticula. This case highlights jejunal diverticulosis causing small bowel volvulus as an uncommon mechanism of small bowel obstruction, which should be included in the differential diagnosis of small bowel obstruction.

Keywords: Jejunal diverticulosis, Midgut volvulus, Intestinal obstruction, Computed tomography, Surgery