Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Midgut Malrotation

Mohammed Alani  1 , Rebecca M. Rentea  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Midgut Malrotation

Mohammed Alani et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Midgut malrotation is a developmental rotational anomaly of the embryonic bowel. Malrotation can present as either acutely, intermittently, or asymptotically. The diagnosis of malrotation with subsequent volvulus of the intestine represents acute surgical emergencies.

During embryonic development, the small bowel usually rotates in a counterclockwise direction around the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) axis between the fourth to eight weeks of gestation. During this period in embryonic development, the bowel protrudes through the yolk stalk (which will become the future umbilicus). During this process, the digestive tract elongates and undergoes counterclockwise 90 degrees rotation, followed by retraction of the bowel into the abdominal cavity where another 180-degrees counterclockwise rotation occurs.

There are different types of Midgut Malrotation:

  1. Non-rotation

  2. Incomplete rotation

  3. Reverse rotation

  4. Anomalous fixation of the mesentery

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Mohammed Alani declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Rebecca Rentea declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Haqqani M, Seetharaman M, Teo R, Adkisson C, Nessen M, Dauer M, Kim PK. Midgut malrotation complicated by small bowel obstruction in an 80-year-old woman: A case report. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2019;63:89-93. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ben Ely A, Gorelik N, Cohen-Sivan Y, Zissin R, Carpineta L, Osadchy A, Gayer G. Appendicitis in adults with incidental midgut malrotation: CT findings. Clin Radiol. 2013 Dec;68(12):1212-9. - PubMed
    1. Coste AH, Anand S, Nada H, Ahmad H. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2022. Sep 12, Midgut Volvulus. - PubMed
    1. Graziano K, Islam S, Dasgupta R, Lopez ME, Austin M, Chen LE, Goldin A, Downard CD, Renaud E, Abdullah F. Asymptomatic malrotation: Diagnosis and surgical management: An American Pediatric Surgical Association outcomes and evidence based practice committee systematic review. J Pediatr Surg. 2015 Oct;50(10):1783-90. - PubMed
    1. Aboagye J, Goldstein SD, Salazar JH, Papandria D, Okoye MT, Al-Omar K, Stewart D, Lukish J, Abdullah F. Age at presentation of common pediatric surgical conditions: Reexamining dogma. J Pediatr Surg. 2014 Jun;49(6):995-9. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources