Torsion of the lesser omentum in a child

Abstract

Torsion of the lesser omentum is a rare cause of acute abdomen. We report a case of a primary torsion of the lesser omentum in a 10-year-old girl with epigastric pain. Computed tomographic (CT) study showed a well-circumscribed oval fatty mass between the left hepatic lobe and the lesser gastric curvature. Surgical exploration revealed a fatty inflammatory structure of soft consistency within the lesser omentum, which appeared to have twisted on its omental pedicle. There was macroscopically and microscopically no evidence of a mass. Knowledge of this pathology is important to the surgeon because it mimics the common causes of acute surgical abdomen.