Colonic Volvulus

Colonic volvulus can go from “constipated and uncomfortable” to “ruptured and crashing” fast. If you cannot instantly tell sigmoid from cecal and know the next best step, the shelf will absolutely punish you. In this episode, Chris and Mars walk through the two big volvulus patterns you must recognize: the elderly, constipated nursing home patient with sigmoid volvulus, and the younger patient with a mobile cecum and acute onset pain from cecal volvulus. You will learn how to use demographics, imaging, and clinical stability to jump straight to the correct management pathway without getting lost in low-yield details. Perfect for medical students prepping for the surgery shelf or Step 2, this episode focuses on pattern recognition, triage, and clean algorithms you can apply instantly on questions and on the wards.