©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Feb 27, 2018; 10(2): 6-12
Published online Feb 27, 2018. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v10.i2.6
Published online Feb 27, 2018. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v10.i2.6
Dolichocolon revisited: An inborn anatomic variant with redundancies causing constipation and volvulus
Dennis Raahave, Department of Surgery, Copenhagen University North Sealand Hospital, Hilleroed 3400, Denmark
Author contributions: Raahave D wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares no conflict of interest.
Correspondence to: Dennis Raahave, MD, PhD, DMSci, Consultant Surgeon, Senior Researcher, Department of Surgery, Copenhagen University North Sealand Hospital, Dyrehavevej 29, Hilleroed 3400, Denmark. dr.dr@dadlnet.dk
Telephone: +45-40-258626
Received: November 2, 2017
Peer-review started: November 2, 2017
First decision: November 28, 2017
Revised: January 25, 2018
Accepted: January 29, 2018
Article in press: January 29, 2018
Published online: February 27, 2018
Processing time: 115 Days and 22 Hours
Peer-review started: November 2, 2017
First decision: November 28, 2017
Revised: January 25, 2018
Accepted: January 29, 2018
Article in press: January 29, 2018
Published online: February 27, 2018
Processing time: 115 Days and 22 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Dolichocolon is an inborn anatomic variant, where redundancies may be located in the right, middle and left part of the colon and at the flexures. This review investigated the literature on dolichocolon. The prevalence is not known. The incidence is 1.9%-28.5% in patient series. The dominating symptoms of dolichocolon are constipation, abdominal pain and volvulus. Colon transit time is prolonged and increases significantly with increased number of redundancies, which increases abdominal pain, bloating and infrequent defecation. The diagnosis is established by a barium enema or CT-colonography. Treatment is conservative, or surgical in case of volvulus or refractory constipation.