Small bowel volvulus complicating common incomplete mesentery in an adult: a case report

Emergency diagnosis of small bowel volvulus can be established in patients with acute intestinal obstruction, or even shock, or repeated abdominal pain often associated with motility disorders. This is a life-threatening complication of common incomplete mesentery, which is defined as an intestinal malrotation occurring very rarely in adults. Clinical symptoms are non-specific, hence the importance of knowing the radiological features, in particular scannographic features of this rare entity, thus enabling early therapeutic management. We here report the case of a 65-year-old patient admitted with total small bowel volvulus complicating common incomplete mesentery, diagnosed based on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan and confirmed at surgery, who had favorable outcome.