A rare case of small intestine torsion in pregnancy

Abstract

Article's main point: This article retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of a patient with small bowel torsion during pregnancy to provide ideas for diagnosing and treating small bowel torsion during pregnancy. This case of pregnancy with small intestinal volvulus gives us the following tips in the diagnosis and treatment: 1) During pregnancy, the abdominal signs of pregnant women are usually atypical, especially in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. Diagnosing intestinal torsion is often tricky and can easily be confused with obstetric emergencies such as threatened abortion, preterm labor pain, placental abruption, and uterine rupture. It is also difficult to distinguish from surgical emergencies such as acute pancreatitis, acute appendicitis, and gastrointestinal perforation. When pregnant women experience nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, intestinal torsion should be considered in the differential diagnosis. 2) Abdominal CT, X-ray, and other radiological examinations may cause fetal tissue damage and dysfunction. In addition, ultrasound diagnosis is also limited by the enlarged uterus, patient conditions, and scanning scope, which has a certain risk of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. MRI has become an important diagnostic tool for acute abdomen in pregnancy because of its non-radiation and high resolution. 3) Intestinal torsion during pregnancy is often difficult to self-reposition and can lead to intestinal necrosis in a short time. In such cases, surgical treatment is usually the first choice. For pregnant women with acute abdomen, we should adhere to the principles of diagnosis and treatment of the acute surgical abdomen, master the indications of surgical exploration such as peritonitis, and perform surgical treatment in time to avoid further deterioration of the condition and reduce the risk of fetal loss.