Intestinal obstruction and pseudo-obstruction in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a known complication of patients with systemic sclerosis, manifested as nausea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal distension and pain. We report a series of cases with systemic sclerosis that presented with signs of intestinal obstruction. In all cases, the differentiation between a pseudo-obstruction and true mechanical obstruction remained a formidable challenge. Our goal was to present different scenarios of patients with systemic sclerosis and features of intestinal obstruction, with a review on its clinical approach.