Peritonitis due to colonic ileus after cesarean section. A report of two cases.

Delayed "primary" peritonitis after cesarean section is very uncommon. In two patients, generalized peritonitis occurred two to three weeks after uneventful operations. Exploratory laparotomies in both cases revealed generalized peritonitis, with massive colonic dilation that was suggestive of pseudo-obstruction as the only positive finding. There was no evidence of perforation or mechanical obstruction, or of ascending pelvic infection. The cause of peritonitis could be "toxic megacolon" due to pseudo-obstruction.