Volvulus of the cecum and ascending colon is a relatively rare condition. Developmental variation of the intestine predisposes to it. Symptoms arising from this mechanical disturbance are fairly characteristic. The clinical picture most frequently described emphasizes the acute condition. Chronic manifestations may be less evident than the acute but they are of equal importance. ETIOLOGY Volvulus of the cecum occurs only in the presence of some form of defective development. Among the lesser degrees of developmental error is the persistence of the mesentery of the cecum and ascending colon, a condition which predisposes to volvulus and is essential to its production. The grosser developmental errors are not infrequently encountered at laparotomy in cases of acute volvulus of the cecum. A brief reference to the embryology of the alimentary canal is therefore desirable. The primitive alimentary canal appears at the fifth week in the form of a tube, consisting of three