Midgut volvulus with secondary thrombosis of superior mesenteric vessels in a pregnant woman.

An anomaly of the position of the midgut in a pregnant woman predisposes to volvulus. Vascular repair, despite the abdominal catastrophe, sometimes allows parts of the intestine to be saved. A case of volvulus in a pregnant woman is described. At operation, 18 hours after onset, two anomalies were found: reverse rotation of the midgut and an anomaly of the collecting system of the superior mesenteric vein. Most of the midgut was infarcted. Thrombi were removed from the superior mesenteric vessels, and a portion of the anamalous superior mesenteric vein was reconstructed. All but 3 M. of the small bowel and the entire right colon were resected. Prolonged treatment with parenteral hyperalimentation enabled us to control the appearance of a moderate degree of malabsorption. To our knowledge, no similar case has been reported previously in the literature.