Volvulus

Volvulus is a benign colonic pathology.

General

• Uncommonly comes to pathology.
• It is essentially a radiologic diagnosis.
• In the context of autopsy, it is a gross diagnosis.

Gross

• Intestine folded over itself - typically leads to ischemia.

Images

• Cecal volvulus (utah.edu).
• Volvulus (uic.edu).

Microscopic

Features:

• +/-Ischemic changes and/or necrosis.

DDx - essentially anything that causes ischemia:

• Embolus.
• Thrombosis.
• Vasculitis.

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RECTOSIGMOID, RESECTION:
- MURAL ISCHEMIA WITH PERFORATION, SEROSITIS, MICROABSCESS FORMATION AND POORLY FORMED PSEUDOMEMBRANES.
- SUBMUCOSAL FIBROSIS.
- NEGATIVE FOR MALIGNANCY.

COMMENT:
The findings are consistent with volvulus and the submucosal fibrosis suggests this may have been recurrent.

See also

• Colon.