This retrospective study evaluated predisposing factors, clinical picture and the methods of treatment related to morbidity and mortality of 19 small bowel volvulus (SBV) who underwent operation at Belen Hospital (Trujillo-Peru) during the last 26 years (1966-1992). The SBV was 1.6% of all cases of intestinal obstruction in this period and 10.8% of all intestinal volvulus. The median age was of 43 +/- 20.5 years (range, 6 to 78 years) and the majority of them were between 41 and 60 years. Sixteen cases (84.2%) were men from Indian and Spanish extraction and most of them were farmers and came from the Sierra of the Department of La Libertad. Two cases (10.5%) had non-related antecedents previous surgery. In six patients (31.6%) the volvulus was less than seven day's duration and in thirty (68.4%) it was more eight day's duration with previous attacks of obstruction (median: 19.3 days, range: 17 hours to 94 days). Pain, vomiting and distention were present in almost all of these cases. The most frequent abdominal finding was distention. The location of the volvulus was: ileum, 12 cases (63.2%), root of mesentery, 4 cases (21%) and jejunum, 3 cases (15.8%). Gangrenous bowel was present in six patients (31.5) and gangrenous intestine with perforation in two cases (10.5%) who underwent resection of the involved segment with primary anastomosis. In this group one patient (5.2%) died of sepsis and the wound infection rate was of 37.5%. There was no statistically significant correlation with the duration of illness and the presence of gangrenous loops or the mortality rate (p > 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)