GASTRIC volvulus is an abnormal rotation of the stomach. This may or may not be associated with symptoms and there may or may not b e impairment of the vascular supply to the stomach.
THE PRESENT SERIES
Over the past 6 years we have encountered 8 patients with volvulus of the stomach. Seven of the patients were female and I was male, the ages ranged from 35 to 73 years, and all were examples of the organo-axial, chronic, anterior type. Aetiologically, 5 were due to a large para-oesophageal hiatus hernia (I associated with a coexisting carcinoma of the mid-oesophagus), I had a massive Morgagni hernia containing transverse colon as well as stomach, I, the only male i n the series, had a hernia through a defect in the left dome of the diaphragm resulting from drainage of a n empyema, and I patient had recurrent episodes of gastric torsion owing to the pendulum-like effect of the omentum matted together into a ball as a result of a previous laparotomy. This last case was the only one in the present series without a diaphragmatic hernia.
Seven of the patients had marked symptoms and underwent a variety of surgical repairs. One patient was symptomless, the volvulus and para-oesophageal hernia being discovered as part of investigations for other complaints, and she remains under observation.
Brief notes on these patients are as follows, and are summarized in Table I .
CASE REPORTS
Case I.-Mrs. D. M., aged 59, had a 5-year history of epigastric pain, aggravated by fatty food, with episodes of vomiting and belching. A cholecystogram revealed a solitary gall-stone in a functioning gall-bladder. A barium meal demonstrated an irreducible gastric volvulus