[Acute pseudoobstruction of the colon (Ogilvie syndrome)]

Pseudo-obstruction of the colon was observed in six patients. The cardinal feature is acute distension of the large bowel without distal obstruction. Apart from few idiopathic cases, the syndrome usually is associated with postoperative, posttraumatic or metabolic disorders of extraintestinal origin. Without treatment, increasing distension leads to cecal perforation with a high mortality. Treatment is conservative initially. If decompression by colonoscopy fails, cecostomy or right hemicolectomy are mandatory. The pathophysiologic mechanism of acute colonic pseudoobstruction is unknown. Whether Ogilvie's syndrome is a genuine clinical entity or a complication of associated diseases is still on question.