Acute Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction (Ogilvie Syndrome)

Question 1

patho

Answer 1

acute dilatation of the colon in the absence of an anatomic lesion
obstructing the flow of intestinal contents.

Question 2

cxfx

Answer 2

severe abdominal distension and pain, with nausea and vomiting

Question 3

The cause of acute

colonic pseudo-obstruction is often____

Answer 3

unknown. There are tons of potential causes. including severe illness, trauma, qx, chemo ETC

Question 4

On physical examination, the abdomen is

Answer 4

tympanitic, but bowel sounds are present.

Question 5

DX

Answer 5

it is diagnosed clinically, but the most accurate test is a CT scan, which rules out other causes of intestinal obstruction and establishes the diagnosis.

Question 6

tx

Answer 6

addressing the underlying cause and stopping any offending agents.

Question 7

additional measures to the treatment

Answer 7

Improve patient comfort by placing a nasogastric tube and a rectal tube to
decompress the gastrointestinal tract.

Question 8

If 24–48 hours of this therapy do not give

the patient relief, give

Answer 8

neostigmine.

Question 9

If medical therapy fails, the next steps in

management are

Answer 9

colonoscopy-aided decompression followed by surgical decompression (cecostomy or colectomy).