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The term volvulus has its roots from medieval Latin "volvere"; which means 'to roll'. A volvulus is a subtype of malrotation, in which a loop of bowel is twisted about a focal point along the mesentery attached to the intestinal tract, that may result in a bowel obstruction. A volvulus is a twisting or axial rotation of a portion of bowel about its mesentery.〔Bailey & Love's/25th/1191〕 ==Signs and symptoms== Regardless of cause, volvulus causes symptoms by two mechanisms: * Bowel obstruction manifested as abdominal distension and bilious vomiting. * Ischemia (loss of blood flow) to the affected portion of intestine. Depending on the location of the volvulus, symptoms may vary. For example, in patients with a cecal volvulus, the predominant symptoms may be those of a small bowel obstruction (nausea, vomiting and lack of stool or flatus), because the obstructing point is close to the ileocecal valve and small intestine. In patients with a sigmoid volvulus, although abdominal pain may be present, symptoms of constipation may be more prominent. Volvulus causes severe pain and progressive injury to the intestinal wall, with accumulation of gas and fluid in the portion of the bowel obstructed.〔 Ultimately, this can result in necrosis of the affected intestinal wall, acidosis, and death. This is known as a closed loop obstruction because there exists an isolated ("closed") loop of bowel. Acute volvulus often requires immediate surgical intervention to untwist the affected segment of bowel and possibly resect any unsalvageable portion.〔 Volvulus occurs most frequently in middle-aged and elderly men.〔 Volvulus can also arise as a rare complication in persons with redundant colon, a normal anatomic variation resulting in extra colonic loops. Sigmoid volvulus is the most-common form of volvulus of the gastrointestinal tract. and is responsible for 8% of all intestinal obstructions. Sigmoid volvulus is particularly common in elderly persons and constipated patients. Patients experience abdominal pain, distension, and absolute constipation. Cecal volvulus is slightly less common than sigmoid volvulus and is associated with symptoms of abdominal pain and small bowel obstruction. Volvulus can also occur in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy due to the smooth muscle dysfunction. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「volvulus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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