Management of sigmoid colon volvulus

Background/Aims: Sigmoid colon is the most frequent site for a volvulus. Th e condition has been a formidable one, fraught with innumerable complicatio ns responsible for many deaths. In this report, we reviewed our experience with sigmoid colon volvulus. Methodology: We present our experience of 61 cases of sigmoid volvulus admi tted to our department. Twenty-four patients were subjected to non-operativ e decompression and the others underwent emergency operation. Results: Intestinal volvulus has quite a high morbidity and mortality. Mort ality rate of elective resection following sigmoidoscopy was 7.6%. Mortalit y rate for emergency surgical detortion primary resection and Hartman proce dure were respectively 13%, 16.6% and 37.5%. Important factors such as the patient's features and frequent late diagnosis can influence the:complicate d outcome of the disease. Plain X-ray of the abdomen is helpful. Conclusions: Management with; the conservative method of treatment in the f orm of detortion by sigmoidoscopy and rectal tube application is initially effective in most cases of volvulus of the sigmoid colon. On the other hand , elective or emergency sigmoid resection is the most effective treatment f or the disease.