Malrotation and midgut volvulus: a historical review and current controversies in diagnosis and management

The complex and sometimes controversial subject of malrotation and midgut volvulus is reviewed commencing with the 19th-century Bohemian anatomist, Václav Treitz, who described the suspensory muscle anchoring of the duodenal-jejunal junction in the left upper quadrant, and continuing with William Ladd, the 20th-century American “father of pediatric surgery” who pioneered the surgical treatment of midgut volvulus. In this review, we present the interesting history of malrotation and discuss the current radiologic and surgical controversies surrounding its diagnosis and treatment. In the symptomatic patient with malrotation and possible midgut volvulus, prompt diagnosis is critical. The clinical examination and plain film are often confusing, and delayed diagnosis can lead to significant morbidity and death. Despite recent intense interest in the position of the mesenteric vessels on US and CT scans, the upper gastrointestinal series remains the fastest and most accurate method of demonstrating duodenal obstruction, the position of the ligament of Treitz, and, if the contrast agent is followed distally, cecal malposition. Controversy exists over the management of asymptomatic patients with malrotation in whom the diagnosis is made incidentally during evaluation for nonspecific complaints, prior to reflux surgery, and in those with heterotaxy syndromes.