[Omental torsion. An acute abdomen etiology].
BACKGROUND
Omental torsion is an uncommon cause of acute abdomen, usually mimicking acute appendicitis; almost all described cases are diagnosed with laparotomy. It can be a primary or secondary condition. Primary torsion occurs without evidence of intrabdominal abnormalities.


METHODS
Retrospective, observational, longitudinal, descriptive study carried out between January 2001 and December 2005. Patients diagnosed as acute appendicitis were included and we assessed diagnostic accuracy by means of anatomopathology and omental torsion incidence.


RESULTS
2135 patients were included; diagnostic accuracy was 91.71%. Eight omental torsion cases were identified, with an incidence of 0.37% and all diagnosed with laparotomy. Patients in the first and fourth decades of life were mostly affected; 75% of the cases were observed in adults, and 62.5% displayed secondary torsion.


CONCLUSIONS
Omental torsion is a rare cause of acute abdomen. Acute appendicitis is a frequent differential diagnosis that should be taken into account. In our series, we found a two-fold higher incidence of omental torsion, compared with previously reported incidence data. We also found a difference in age and sex distribution among patients with this diagnosis.
Pinedo-Onofre
Javier Alfonso
JA
División de Cirugía del Hospital Central Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto, San Luis Potosi S.L.P., México. dr_creatura@hotmail.com
Guevara-Torres
Lorenzo
L
D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009852:Omentum; D010532:Peritoneal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014102:Torsion Abnormality / Q000150:complications