MALROTATION DISCOVERED DURING ROUTINE RADIONUCLIDE GASTRIC-EMPTYING STUDY

In infants with recurrent vomiting, and especially bilious vomiting, t he algorithmic approach is to perform conventional barium upper gastro intestinal radiography to rule out malrotation and midgut volvulus, wh ich are surgical emergencies. However, children with protracted vomiti ng and failure to thrive are candidates for medical treatment. These c hildren are often evaluated by radionuclide gastric emptying studies t o assess gastric emptying. Three patients are presented in whom the ra dionuclide gastric emptying study revealed the presence of a malrotati on anomaly which had been undetected by antecedent barium gastrointest inal radiographic studies.