Coiled descending colon with persistent mesocolon and a straight sigmoid colon - a unique congenital anomaly

Descending colon is a retroperitoneal part of colon extending from left colic flexure to the brim of pelvis. Rarely does it have a mesocolon. Descending colon is most commonly affected by ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colon cancer. In the present case, cadaveric dissection of abdomen revealed a rare variation of descending colon. The descending colon had a mesocolon and was coiled in its lower part. The sigmoid colon was straight and displaced to a median position. Position of colon as in the present case might be asymptomatic, but can lead to volvulus formation, intestinal obstruction, constipation along with abdominal pain and pose a difficulty in radiological diagnosis and interpretation. Colonoscopy may not be advisable in such cases as the colonoscope may not pass through coiled descending colon and any forced attempt may pierce the wall of colon. This is the first case report of the coiled descending colon with a potential clinical importance.