ABSTRACT
To evaluate the role of emergency laparotomy in patients presenting with acute sigmoid volvulus at EI Obeid Teaching Hospital, Western Sudan. The records of 22 patients with acute sigmoid volvulus who were offered emergency laparotomy and admitted to the wards of the University Surgical Unit at EI Obeid Teaching Hospital, Western Sudan over 4 years, were studied. They were 18 males and four females. The mean age [[ +/- SD] was 59.7 [ +/- 14. 16] years. Patients had viable bowel for which detortion, deflation and colopexy were done. Eight patients had sigmoid colectomy later. Six patients had gangrenous bowel and underwent immediate resection and anastomosis, following which one patient died [4.5%]. Eight patients were lost in follow up. Emergency laparotomy for sigmoid volvulus may be overdone. A conservative decompression sigmoidoscopy with de rotation and tube deflation should be tried in such patients, with plans for colectomy later