Incidentally discovered intestinal nonrotation at time of bariatric surgery: Which operation to perform?

BACKGROUND: An incidental finding of intestinal nonrotation at the time of bariatric surgery poses the following 2 dilemmas: (1) which operation to perform, and (2) whether an appendectomy should be performed concurrently.

OBJECTIVES: To review the experience of 2 Bariatric Centers of Excellence with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in patients with intestinal nonrotation, and to perform a systematic review of the literature on this topic.

SETTING: Two Bariatric Centers of Excellence as designated by the Ontario Bariatric Network.

METHODS: A chart review of all LSG cases performed in patients with intestinal nonrotation at 2 centers was performed. A systematic review on performing bariatric surgery in patients with intestinal nonrotation/malrotation was conducted using EMBASE and MEDLINE databases.

RESULTS: Four patients (.4% of all cases) underwent LSG in the setting of intestinal nonrotation. Two patients underwent a concurrent appendectomy. Three patients developed postoperative gastrointestinal reflux disease and 1 patient required conversion to a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. A total of 12 retrospective studies with 23 patients were included in the systematic review. Nineteen patients underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, 3 patients underwent a duodenal switch, and 1 patient underwent LSG. Nine patients (41%) underwent a concurrent appendectomy. Reasons cited for not performing an appendectomy include not completely understanding the anatomic defect, being surprised by the discovery of nonrotation, no consent for the procedure, and suboptimal trocar placement for an appendectomy.

CONCLUSIONS: LSG is a reasonable alternative to laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in patients with intestinal nonrotation. A concurrent appendectomy may not be necessary in the era of modern cross-sectional imaging for diagnosing acute appendicitis.