Discovery of a case of Waugh's syndrome during a mission to Haiti.

INTRODUCTION

A rarely reported entity, Waugh's syndrome is the association between intestinal malrotation and intussusception. We present a case of Waugh's syndrome encountered during a medical mission to a resource poor country.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A 3-month-old female presented with septic shock and acute bowel obstruction secondary to intussusception and malrotation. She required aggressive resuscitation and emergent laparotomy, bowel resection, Ladd procedure and temporary ileostomy.

DISCUSSION

First described in 1911, Waugh's syndrome has been rarely reported in the literature. We summarize a total of 54 cases of Waugh's syndrome that are reported in the literature to date. The complicated but successful care of this patient reflects the severe outcome of any inadequate treatment of Waugh's syndrome and illustrates the importance of medical volunteers in developing countries.

CONCLUSION

As the relationship between malrotation and intussusception may be more frequent than recorded, surgeons must be aware that non-operative management of intussusception may be inadequate therapy.