Acute colonic pseudo obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome): case report.

Ogilvie's syndrome was first described by Sir Heneage Ogilvie in 1948 and is a rare disorder comprising acute colonic pseudo obstruction (ACPO) with gross dilation of the caecum and right hemicolon (occasionally extending to the rectum) without an anatomic lesion that obstructs the aboral flow of intestinal contents. A sixty five year old female with ACPO, perforation and septic shock is presented. A retrospective confirmation of the diagnosis was made after surgery at which a grossly dilated caecum and colon were seen and a right hemicolectomy carried out. Preoperative radiological investigations had shown a dilated caecum with massive faecal loading of the colon.