Fatal gastric volvulus: forensic pathology considerations and postmortem CT findings

Gastric volvulus is a rare cause of gastric obstruction, due to the rotation of the stomach by more than 180 degrees. It is a rare but life-threatening medical emergency that is considered difficult to diagnose at the initial clinical presentation. Forensic pathologists may be presented with gastric volvulus in several ways, for instance, as a cause of sudden and unexpected death or in the context of suspected clinical errors. The post-mortem examination of gastric volvulus may be challenging, due to the specific technical issues it presents and the various mechanisms by which volvulus may cause death. We therefore present five cases of gastric volvulus that in combination represent almost the entire spectrum of presentations and post-mortem findings, to discuss how gastric volvulus may come to the attention of a forensic pathologist, the approach and findings at post-mortem examination (including post-mortem CT), and the variety of mechanisms by which gastric volvulus may result in death.

Automated summary

Gastric volvulus is a rare but life-threatening medical emergency characterized by the rotation of the stomach by more than 180 degrees. This condition is challenging to diagnose and can be encountered by forensic pathologists in cases of sudden death or suspected medical errors. The post-mortem examination of gastric volvulus is complex due to technical issues and the various mechanisms by which volvulus can result in death. This study presents five cases of gastric volvulus, discussing their presentations, post-mortem findings, and the different ways volvulus can lead to fatal outcomes.