Omental torsion; an unusual case of acute abdomen. Case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Omental torsion as a cause of acute abdominal pain is extremely rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively given the non-specific clinical picture.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report the case of an adult male who went to the emergency room due to abdominal pain, presented clinical symptoms and laboratory findings consistent with acute appendicitis but was diagnosed intraoperatively with omental torsion and associated necrosis, which was successfully treated by laparoscopic omentectomy.

DISCUSSION

It is a rare entity with a low incidence. The symptoms of the cases reported in the literature are usually confused with other abdominal pathologies such as appendicitis or cholecystitis, so preoperative diagnosis continues to be a challenge. The treatment of choice is the laparoscopic approach, since it allows confirming the diagnosis, evaluating the severity of the ischemia, and ruling out other surgical pathologies.

CONCLUSION

It is important to consider omental torsion as another differential diagnosis of acute abdomen, which can be satisfactorily resolved via laparoscopy, thus avoiding the development of complications associated with its natural evolution.