Duplication of the alimentary tract is a rare malformation that can occur in any portion of the gastrointestinal tract. Rarely diagnosed in adulthood, it is usually an incidental finding due to non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms. Approximately 80% of cases are diagnosed in infants less than two years old. The most common location is the ileum, and the least common location is the rectum. Embryological theories discussing the etiology of alimentary tract duplications include failure of internal vacuolization during the sixth week of fetal development and/or the yolk-sac dorsal protrusion may adhere to the ectoderm during somite development. Environmental factors such as trauma or hypoxia affecting various intestinal fragments receiving blood supply can evolve into duplication. Excision with consideration to the common blood supply to protect the native bowel is the preferred treatment approach. We present the case of an elderly 70-year-old male with a bowel obstruction complicated by sigmoid duplication. After preoperative assessments, the patient underwent a robotic sigmoidectomy. This case report highlights colonic duplication as a differential diagnosis in the bowel obstruction of an elderly patient.
Keywords: alimentary tract duplication; bowel obstruction; enteric duplication; robotic surgical procedures; sigmoidectomy.
Copyright © 2023, Ward et al.