Nonrotation of the midgut with appendiceal mucocele in an adult

Nonrotation of the midgut in adults and appendiceal mucocele are both rare pathological conditions. We report here the first case of nonrotation of the midgut associated with appendiceal mucocele. The patient was a 51-year-old man admitted to hospital with ileus. An upper gastrointestinal series and a barium enema revealed nonrotation of the midgut without midgut volvulus and with a mass in the ileocecal area. Laparotomy revealed an appendiceal mucocele adhering to the urinary bladder and the rectum. The mucocele had partly ruptured; yellowish mucinous material had entered the abdominal cavity, resulting in pseudomyxoma peritonei. Histological examination revealed a mucinous tumor of the appendix with borderline malignancy. In this patient, the ileus was caused by the appendiceal mucocele rather than being caused by nonrotation of the midgut.