[Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction in adults]

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a rare disease stemming from numerous causes characterized by disturbances in gastrointestinal motility. Symptomatology is often misleading and topography is variable, thus putting the clinician in serious difficulty. Diagnosis is based on a body of arguments, ranging from the clinical examination to surgical biopsies in expert centers. Treatment is non-consensual and mostly symptomatic. It is based on the use of prokinetics and optimal nutritional support. In the most serious cases, surgery can be required. The etiological treatment should be that of the causal disease when it exists and when the etiology is identified. Results of such treatment are variable. Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a disease which remains poorly understood. Progress had been made in terms of diagnosis and treatment but it seems obvious that a better comprehension of physiopathological mechanisms is necessary in order to improve our practice.