VOLVULUS OF COLON

The records of 21 patients with volvulus of the colon are reviewed. The clinical picture is that of intestinal obstruction occurring in an elderly patient with a long history of bowel dysfunction. Distention of the abdomen is the most common physical finding. Positional roentgenograms of the abdomen reveal marked distention of the bowel. The diagnosis of colonic volvulus can be made from roentgenograms of the abdomen, but barium-enema examination will reveal the true nature of the obstruction. Bariumenema studies are omitted in gravely-ill patients or those with peritonitis. There was one death in the 21 patients treated, a mortality rate of 4.8 per cent. © 1969, American Proctologic Society. All rights reserved.