Left-sided appendicitis in intestinal malrotation: a minimally invasive approach

Abstract

Abstract Intestinal malrotation is a rare clinical entity that occurs in 1/6000 live births. Acute appendicitis (AA) is commonly recognized clinically by migratory right iliac fossa pain. We present a rare case of AA in a patient with previously undiagnosed IM that posed a diagnostic challenge due to abnormal caecal location, which was managed by a laparoscopic approach. The presence of undiagnosed congenital anomalies such as IM can render diagnosis of even seemingly straightforward conditions such as AA challenging, meaning that the presence of classical clinical findings cannot always be relied upon. One should have a low threshold for performing cross-sectional imaging in cases where clinical findings do not yield a satisfactory diagnosis. The adult patient with AA in the context of incidental type 1 IM can be managed laparoscopically by a simple modification of standard technique, without the need to correct malrotation, thus allowing the patient to benefit minimally invasive surgery.