Volvulus is defined as an intestinal blockage that makes the bowel passage restrict the flow of the waste material. Treatment for volvulus is the key to delineate the problem.
To begin with, it is important to elucidate what is volvulus. Understanding volvulus thoroughly is a prerequisite to comprehending the volvulus treatment. Volvulus is a serious large intestine problem. The loop of the intestine becomes convoluted thereby resulting in a bowel obstruction, due to which the passage is blocked. The twist can pound on any site of the Gastrointestinal tract that involves the abdomen, small intestine, transverse colon, cecum and sigmoid colon. A type of volvulus that occurs in infants is called Mid-gut volvulus. The mid-gut volvulus is a serious condition where the mid-gut convolutes entirely around the mesenteric artery. The symptoms that indicate the occurrence of volvulus is abdominal pain, nausea, severe constipation and blood in stool.
What is Sigmoid Volvulus
Sigmoid volvulus is a serious condition that is predominant in adults. It is a type of volvulus that gives rise to discrepancies in the bowel, causing intestinal blockage. The rear end of the large intestine referred to as the sigmoid colon, convolutes leading to an intestinal blockage. Sigmoid volvulus is predominantly prevalent in aged men and women. Nevertheless, it can also be a condition detected in children above 10 years of age.
All those afflicted with this condition can endure severe constipation, progressing into weak bowel movements. Constipation over a long period of time can cause the sigmoid colon to lengthen in an abnormal manner. One needs to bear in mind that sigmoid volvulus can be a fatal condition to endure, if left untreated. Gangrene, a condition that is caused by possible tissue death, can occur if not treated promptly.
What is Cecal Volvulus
This is also a serious medical condition where the initial part of the large intestine twists, causing an uncomfortable obstruction for the bowel movement. This is a condition that occurs when the cecum drifts away from abdominal walls and convolutes in an uncanny manner. Thus, the cecum wraps itself. The cecum being the initial receptor of the material cannot pass through the small intestine into the large bowel.
Symptoms include nausea, cramps, bloating and swelling of the abdomen. If left untreated it can lead to a fatal rupture of the large intestine. The oxygen and nutrient supply is amputated from the large intestine, leading to tissue death. Due to this obstruction the materials that have been bulking up, do not have an outlet and may result in spilling over into the abdominal cavity from the bowel.
Treatment for Sigmoid Volvulus and Cecal Volvulus
The treatment for sigmoid volvulus and cecal volvulus involves a procedure called colonoscopy. Colonoscopy procedure can be defined as a medical procedure where the colon is excavated through the means of a medical equipment. This equipment is inserted through the rectum, proceeding further into the affected area and examining the vulnerable part of the large intestine.
Sigmoid volvulus treatment and cecal volvulus treatment derive solution from one single remedy, and that’s undergoing a surgical procedure. Repairing the volvulus is essential in elementary stages of detection of the said condition. The treatment may consist of a surgery where an incision is made and the bowels or the large intestine is examined. Thus the bowels are positioned and the blood supply, oxygen supply and nutrient flow is restored.
If the bowels consist of parts that have dead tissues, these parts are surgically removed and the bowel ends are stuttered. The volvulus treatment is highly critical if the entire large intestine is necrotic, that is dead due to nil blood supply, the condition may be extremely fatal. Another surgery called appendectomy involves the surgical removal of the appendix as appendicitis will not be detected due to the location of the appendix undergoing a change. Decompression procedure could be termed as a partially surgical approach. In this treatment, an equipment called sigmoidoscope is inserted into the rectum and a thin tube like structure called the flatus tube is passed through the rectum to the affected area of the large intestine. The obstruction is freed when the flatus tube channelizes itself and the liquid feces is released.
This is how volvulus is treated. Treating volvulus is very important in order to curb and cease the condition in its neonatal stages. It has a morbid resultant to deliver, if neglected and left unattended.
