Nasuea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy, however, other serious conditions should be considered in order to provide immediate intervention. Gastric volvulus is as an abnormal rotation of the stomach and presents with Borchadt's triad of unproductive retching, epigastric pain, distention and the inability to pass a nasogastric tube. This can result in bowel obstruction, strangulation, ischemia, necrosis, perforation and abdominal sepsis which make it a medical emergency requiring urgent surgery. We report a 56-year-old female with history of non-small cell lung cancer status-post left lower lobectomy with partial diaphragmatic resection undergoing chemotherapy who presented to the ED with one month of worsening nausea, bilious emesis and epigastric pain radiating to the left chest. She was initially discharged home with antiemetics when she was simply noted to have a large hiatal hernia on CXR. A week later, the patient was admitted with the same symptoms along with severe hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. Repeat CXR revealed marked elevation of the left hemi-diaphragm and thickwalled air-filled structure overlying the left lower thorax. Barium upper GI series showed the stomach antrum above the diaphragm in the left thorax while the antrum was cephelad to the gastric body. Oral contrast could not empty into the duodenum despite repositioning the patient. Contrast enhanced chest, abdomen and pelvis CT confirmed the diagnosis of mesenteroaxial gastric volvulus with gastric outlet obstruction. She underwent emergent exploratory laparotomy for volvulus reduction and diaphragmatic defect repair; no complications were noted. With mortality rates of 30-50%, gastric volvulus must not be missed. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was not made during the first ED visit, as her symptoms, laboratory testing and CXR finding of “a large hiatal hernia” did not raise enough concern for additional imaging studies to be pursued. Our patient did not present with the typical Borchadt's triad. Instead, she presented with migrating pain from the epigastrium to the left chest, likely corresponding to the stomach migrating through the diaphragmatic defect leading to the eventual volvulus. Risk factors include patient age over 50, diaphgragmatic defects, gastric ligament laxity and gastroduodenal tumors. Fortunately, gastric volvulus was identified on the second visit with the appropriate diagnostic modalities of Barium UGI series and CT scan.Figure 1Figure 2Figure 3
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