Hu SF, Liu XY, Liu HB, Hao YY. Unexpected right-sided sigmoid colon in laparoscopy: A case report and review of literature. World J Gastrointest Surg 2024; 16(11): 3606-3613 [PMID: 39649208 DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i11.3606]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Shi-Fu Hu, MD, Chief Doctor, Department of General Surgery, Tianjin Xiqing Hospital, No. 343 Xiqing Road, Tianjin 300100, China. iammrhu@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Shi-Fu Hu, Xiang-Yu Liu, Han-Bo Liu, Department of General Surgery, Tianjin Xiqing Hospital, Tianjin 300100, China
Yuan-Yuan Hao, Department of Geriatrics, Tianjin Xiqing Hospital, Tianjin 300100, China
Co-first authors: Shi-Fu Hu and Xiang-Yu Liu.
Co-corresponding authors: Shi-Fu Hu and Yuan-Yuan Hao.
Author contributions: Hu SF contributed to manuscript drafting; Liu XY and Liu HB reviewed the literature; Hao YY was responsible for the revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; all authors issued final approval for the version to be submitted.
Informed consent statement: A written informed consent was obtained from patients enrolled.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Shi-Fu Hu, MD, Chief Doctor, Department of General Surgery, Tianjin Xiqing Hospital, No. 343 Xiqing Road, Tianjin 300100, China. iammrhu@163.com
Received: August 1, 2024 Revised: August 29, 2024 Accepted: September 11, 2024 Published online: November 27, 2024 Processing time: 90 Days and 2.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The presence of a right-sided sigmoid colon is a rare anatomical variation usually discovered incidentally during surgical interventions. This case report details an unexpected right-sided sigmoid colon identified during a laparoscopic appendectomy and examines the pertinent literature to explore its clinical importance.
CASE SUMMARY
A 71-year-old woman presented with acute appendicitis. A preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan showed peri-appendiceal inflammation but no significant anatomical abnormalities. During laparoscopic surgery, an unexpected finding was encountered: The sigmoid colon was situated on the right side and exhibited an abnormal relationship with the cecum and ascending colon. Postoperative pathological examination confirmed appendicitis with no additional pathological findings. The right-sided sigmoid colon anomaly was verified through intraoperative assessment and later re-evaluation with CT and colonographic imaging. The patient underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy and experienced a smooth postoperative recovery.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights the necessity of being attentive to anatomical variations during laparoscopic surgery, particularly when managing appendicitis. A review of the literature indicated that the occurrence of a right-sided sigmoid colon is infrequent and may be associated with anomalies in midgut rotation during embryonic development. Awareness of this variation can help prevent surgical complications and inform future clinical practice.
Core Tip: This case report spotlights an unexpected right-sided sigmoid colon detected during laparoscopic appendectomy, emphasizing its clinical impact. Surgeons must be vigilant for such anatomical variations in minimally invasive surgery. A literature review reveals the rarity and embryological roots of this condition, crucial for preventing surgical errors. The case highlights the necessity of preoperative imaging and intraoperative assessment for detecting and managing this anatomical peculiarity.
