ABSTRACT
The term “malrotation” refers to a condition in which the midgut – that part of the intestine supplied by the superior mesenteric vessels and extending from the duodenojejunal flexure to the mid-transverse colon – remains unfixed and suspended on a narrow-based mesentery. The intestines initially develop as a straight tube extending down the midline of the embryo. The intestines initially develop as a straight tube extending down the midline of the embryo. As it lengthens, it extends into the extra-embryonic celom of the umbilical cord, but later returns to the abdominal cavity. The foregut is supplied by the celiac artery, the midgut by the superior mesenteric artery, and the hindgut by the inferior mesenteric artery. Three stages of development of the midgut are recognized. Malrotation in early infancy may present either with acute strangulating obstruction or with recurrent episodes of incomplete intestinal obstruction. A wide spectrum of clinical symptoms has been ascribed to malrotation.
