Two Cases of Positional Variation of the Cecum and Appendix With a Vascular Anomaly: A Diagnostic Dilemma

Cureus. 2022 Jul 21;14(7):e27091. doi: 10.7759/cureus.27091. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Abstract

The arrangement of the alimentary canal derived from the midgut exhibits a wide range of alterations. In this article, we report two cases in male cadavers aged 65 years and 70 years, respectively, in the Department of Anatomy, MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, wherein we discovered the positional variation of the cecum and appendix with a vascular anomaly, thus the specimens were photographed to understand further. The observation of the first specimen is that the cecum and appendix were found in close proximity to the inferior surface of the right lobe of the liver with a vascular anomaly. The branching pattern of the superior mesenteric artery varied from the usual pattern. The right colic artery and ileocolic artery arose as a common trunk. The cecum and appendix were identified in the right hypochondrium in the second specimen, with an unusually long appendix measuring around 22.3 cm in length with maximal breadth near the base. Knowledge of these positional variations, as well as the coexistence of the cecum and appendix with a vascular anomaly, which could provide a diagnostic conundrum, would aid in diagnosing patients of appendicitis with unusual presentations and planning optimal incisional procedures prior to surgery.

Keywords: appendix; caecum; malrotation; positional variations; vascular variations.

Publication types

  • Case Reports