LAPAROSCOPIC CECOPEXY FOR CECAL VOLVULUS - CASE-REPORT AND A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

A case of intermittent cecal volvulus in an immunocompromised patient is presented. This patient, whose bowel was viable, was managed successfully by laparoscopic cecopexy. As a clinical entity, cecal volvulus usually presents as either an unrelenting process, culminating in gangrenous bowel, or as an intermittent, recurrent condition with spontaneous resolution but which also may lead to loss of intestinal viability. Surgical management is required in almost every case; however, a review of the literature reveals considerable controversy as to what constitutes the best operation for cases in which the bowel is viable. The most appropriate operation is usually dictated by the clinical circumstances, and in many settings cecopexy is a satisfactory choice of procedure; resection is obviated, bowel need not be opened, and the operation can be performed laparoscopically relatively rapidly.