Abnormal position of descending colon with right-sided sigmoid colon and its clinical significance

Publication date: September 2014 Source:Apollo Medicine, Volume 11, Issue 3 Author(s): Saju Binu Cherian , Aruna Jyothi Gandhalam Variations in the disposition of colon are developmental in origin. Interruption of typical locations may lead to a variety of acute and chronic pathological conditions. Here we report an unusual case of abnormal position of descending colon with right-sided sigmoid colon observed in a 70-year old male cadaver during the routine dissections for undergraduate medical students. In the present case, the descending colon crossed the vertebral column at L4 level to reach the right pelvic brim to continue as right sided sigmoid colon. Awareness of this finding is of crucial significance when performing procedures like percutaneous gastrotomy and radiologically guided entrostomy as it can lead to fatal sepsis in patients who undergo minimally invasive procedures.
Source: Apollo Medicine - Category: Journals (General) Source Type: research