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A case of omental torsion secondary to right inguinal hernia in a 51-year-old man was operated on in Naga Hospital. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) showed a characteristic whirling fatty mass and entering into a right inguinal hernia. Omental torsion is a relatively rare disease, and the preoperative diagnosis is difficult because of nonspecific clinical signs and symptoms. In this report, we gathered 36 patients with omental torsion from the English language literature since 1986, with the addition of the patient herein reported, and clarified the symptoms, imaging findings, and management of omental torsion.

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with nausea and epigastralgia, and a diagnosis of smoldering type adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) associated with advanced gastric carcinoma was made. The gastric carcinoma had caused pyloric stenosis, and investigations revealed regional lymph node metastasis. The patient underwent total gastrectomy, splenectomy, cholecystectomy, and lymph node dissection with a Roux-en-Y anastomosis. Histological examination of the regional lymph nodes revealed not only metastases of gastric carcinoma, but also of ATL lymphoma, indicating a final diagnosis of advanced gastric carcinoma with locoregional lymph node due to both metastasis of the gastric carcinoma and the ATL lymphoma. Despite the administration of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy comprised of cisplatin/adriamycin/5-fluorouracil in combination with oral etoposide and immunotherapy using ubenimex, paraplegia suddenly developed caused by the metastasis of ATL to the epidural space. Resection of this metastatic tumor for decompression of the spinal cord resulted in resolution of the paraplegia; however, the patient died about 1 month later from rapid systemic tumor growth.