Left-Sided Omental Torsion in a Child: Successful Conservative Management: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Introduction: Omental torsion (OT) is an infrequent cause of acute abdomen in children. OT is usually located in the right iliac fossa and a left-sided localization is rare which is mostly seen in the adults. Herein, a left-sided OT in a pediatric patient is presented because of its unusual localization that was managed succesfully with conservative treatment. Case presentation: A nine-year-old boy was admitted with a left upper quadrant abdominal pain, anorexia and vomiting. His medical history was significant for an appendectomy which was performed two months before. The patient was diagnosed to have an OT with clinical findings and imaging techniques thus conservative treatment was applied successfully. The case was treated in University Of Health Sciences, Kanuni Education and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Trabzon / Turkey in March 2020. Conclusion: Usually there is not an underlying condition in the OTs but previous abdominal surgery or inguinal hernia repair may be the predisposing factor. Conservative treatment may be possible if prompt diagnosis can be established and unnecessary surgery may be avoided with a close follow-up.