A Case of Epiploic Appendagitis of the Ascending Colon

Taizoh Fukumoto, Toshikatsu Taniki, Katsuhiro Tanaka, Yasunori Konishi, Masayuki Sumitomo, Nobuo Saoyama, Kunihiko Harada, Yasumasa Monden

The 2nd Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima

A 36-year-old man with the chief complaint of pain in the right lower abdominal quadrant underwent a laparotomy under the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. However, no abnormalities were found in the vermiform appendix, but the epiploic appendage of the ascending colon was dark reddish brown and partly necrotic, and its peduncle was very thin. These findings were diagnostic of epiploic appendagitis due to circulatory failure resulting from torsion. Circulatory failure resulting from torsion of the epiploic appendage is regarded as the most frequnet culprit for epiploic appendagitis, and it was also applicable in our case. The cases of epiploic appendagitis reported in Japan, however, include those where circulatory failure may not have been responsible. For this reason, epiploic appendagitis may be divided into two types: circulatory failure type, and non-circulatory failure type. We report a case of epiploic appendagitis of the ascending colon encountered in our department, and discuss the findings with reference to the literature; chiefly the cause of the disease.

Key words
epiploic appendagitis

Reprint requests
Taizoh Fukumoto The 2nd Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima
2-50-1 Kuramotochou, Tokushima, 770 JAPAN

Accepted
October 11, 1989

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