Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of volvulus in pregnancy of cases in the past 20 years
| Clinical characteristics | No./Sum | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Predisposing factor | ||
| Abdominal operation | 15/28 | 53% |
| Intestinal operation | 5/15 | 33% |
| Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass | 3/15 | 20% |
| Long-term gastrointestinal discomfort | 3/28 | 11% |
| Unremarkable history | 10/28 | 36% |
| Gestational stages | ||
| 2nd trimester | 10/29 | 34% |
| 3rd trimester | 19/29 | 66% |
| Symptoms | ||
| Abdominal pain | 21/23 | 91% |
| Vomiting | 19/23 | 83% |
| Nausea | 10/23 | 48% |
| Constipation | 5/23 | 22% |
| Diarrhea | 2/23 | 9% |
| Signs | ||
| Abdominal tenderness | 10/23 | 43% |
| Hypoactive bowel sounds | 6/23 | 26% |
| No bowel sounds | 2/23 | 9% |
| Normal bowel sounds | 3/23 | 13% |
| Lab tests | ||
| Blood WBC counts | ||
| Progressively elevated or > 15 × 109/L | 9/16 | 56% |
| < 15 × 109/L | 7/16 | 44% |
| CRP | ||
| Elevated | 2/5 | 40% |
| Normal (< 10 mg/L) | 3/5 | 60% |
| Elevated PCT (> 0.25 ng/mL) | 1/1 | 100% |
| Imaging | ||
| Ultrasound | ||
| Dilated bowel loops | 4/9 | 44% |
| Intraperitoneal or pelvic free fluid | 4/9 | 44% |
| No abnormal lesion | 1/9 | 12% |
| Conclusive plain abdominal film | 5/5 | 100% |
| Conclusive CT | 6/6 | 100% |
| Conclusive MRI | 2/2 | 100% |
| Operations | ||
| Resection of bowel | 19/28 | 68% |
| Multiple operations | 2/28 | 7% |
| Re-look laparotomy | 2/28 | 7% |
| Derotation | 4/28 | 14% |
| Reducing internal hernia | 2/28 | 7% |
| Ladd’s band incision | 1/28 | 4% |
| Laparotomy | 1/28 | 4% |
| Endoscopy | 1/28 | 4% |
| Fetal outcomes | ||
| Good | 21/27 | 78% |
| mild asphyxia | 2/27 | 7% |
| severe asphyxia | 2/27 | 7% |
| Dead | 6/27 | 22% |
| Maternal outcomes | ||
| Uneventful | 20/28 | 72% |
| Short bowel syndrome | 6/28 | 21% |
| Expired | 2/28 | 7% |