An acute presentation of a primary chronic gastric volvulus: A case report

Chronic gastric volvulus is a rare cause of acute abdominal pain in adults. Infrequently, it can develop into an acute gastric volvulus presenting as a sudden onset of abdominal pains. It occurs when the stomach twists more than 180° along its axis. If not diagnosed and treated early, it may lead to severe complications noticeably gastric ischemia and necrosis. We report the case of a chronic GV which presented as an acute GV in a 50-year-old female patient. The patient had been suffering from chronic epigastric pains for over three years. The diagnosis was made incidentally following an abdominal contrasted computed tomography scan for the severe onset of abdominal pains. The patient underwent an emergency exploratory laparotomy in which the gastric volvulus was resolved by untwisting the stomach, gastropexy, and fundoplication. The postoperative course was unremarkable. A 6-months follow-up showed no signs of recurrence. This case illustrates the acute presentation of chronic GV at an early stage which prompted a rapid treatment by our surgical team, preventing the occurrence of gastric stricture complications.