acute colonic psuedo obstruction

1. OgilvieSyndrome
(AcuteColonPseudo-obstruction)

2. Definition
• First described by British surgeon, William Heneage Ogilvie (1948)
• A syndrome characterized by a clinical picture suggestive of mechanical
obstruction in the absence of any demonstrable evidence of such an
obstruction in the intestine.
• On the basis of the clinical presentation, can be divided into acute and chronic
forms.
• Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction also referred to as Ogilvie syndrome
• The colon is massively dilated; If not decompressed, the patient risks perforation,
peritonitis, and death.
• The mortality rate can be as high as 40% when perforation occurs
Coulie B, Camilleri M. Intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Annu Rev Med. 1999. 50:37-55
Ogilvie H. Large-intestine colic due to sympathetic deprivation; a new clinical syndrome. Br Med J. 1948 Oct
9. 2(4579)

3. Characteristics
• Colonic pseudo-obstruction is
characterized by massive dilation
of the cecum, with diameter
greater than 10 cm on abdominal
x-ray

4. Whyisthe cecumusuallythe mostdilated?
Laplace’s law
• The intraluminal pressure needed to stretch the wall
of a hollow tube is inversely proportional to its
diameter.
• The caecum, with its larger diameter, requires less
pressure to increase in size and in wall tension.
• As the wall tension of the colon increases, ischemia
with longitudinal splitting of the serosa, herniation of
the mucosa, and perforation

5. Pathophysiology
• The vagus nerve supplies the parasympathetic tone from the upper
gastrointestinal (GI) tract up to the splenic flexure.
• The sacral parasympathetic nerves (S2 to S5) supply the left colon, sigmoid, and
rectum.
• The lower 6 thoracic segments supply the sympathetic tone to the right colon
• The lumbar segments 1-3 supply the left colon.
• Sympathetic stimuli result in the inhibition of bowel motility and the
contraction of sphincters.

6. Pathophysiology
• Exact mechanism is unknown
• Current theories continue to suggest the idea of an imbalance in the
autonomic nervous system.
Possibly due to
• ↑ sympathetic tone
• ↓ parasympathetic tone
• or a combination of both
Manten HD. Pseudo-obstruction. Haubrich WS, Schaffner F, Berk JE eds. Bockus
Gastroenterology. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co; 1995. Vol 2: 1249-67.

7. Support for ↑ sympathetic tone:
• 1988 study by Lee et al, hypothesized that increased sympathetic tone to
the colon results in the inhibition of colonic motility.
• By using epidural anesthesia to block the splanchnic sympathetics, they
successfully treated several patients ,whose acute colonic psuedo-
obstruction did not respond to conservative management
• One more study in 2005 - supported this hypothesis by using spinal anesthesia
Lee JT, Taylor BM, Singleton BC. Epidural anesthesia for acute pseudo-obstruction of the colon (Ogilvie's syndrome). Dis
Colon Rectum.
1988 Sep. 31(9):686-91.
Mashour GA, Peterfreund RA. Spinal anesthesia and Ogilvie's syndrome. J Clin Anesth. 2005 Mar. 17(2):122-3.

8. Evidence for ↓ parasympathetic tone
• Disruption of the sacral innervation may leave the distal colon atonic, resulting
in a functional obstruction
• This hypothesis is consistent with studies showing a transition between dilated
and collapsed bowel often at or near the splenic flexure
Bachulis BL, Smith PE. Pseudoobstruction of the colon. Am J Surg. 1978 Jul.
136(1):66-72. Christensen J. Intestinal motor physiology. Sleisenger MH, Fordtran JS, eds. Gastrointestinal Disease:
Pathophysiology, Diagnosis,Management.

9. Pathophysiology
• In 1992, Hutchinson et al reported successfully treating 8 of 11 patients
with acute colonic pseudo-obstruction by using the sympathetic
adrenergic blocker guanethidine, followed by the cholinesterase inhibitor
neostigmine.
Hutchinson R, Griffiths C. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction: a pharmacological approach. Ann R Coll Surg Engl.
1992 Sep. 74(5):364-7

10. Etiology
The 3 most common associations
• Trauma (especially retroperitoneal)
• Serious infection
• Cardiac disease (especially myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure)

11. Other causes
• Recent surgery (abdominal, urologic, gynecologic, orthopedic, cardiac, or
neurologic)
• Spinal cord injury
• pregnancy; cesarean delivery
• Neurologic disorders
• Hypothyroidism
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Respiratory disorders
• Renal insufficiency
• Medications (eg, narcotics,TCA, antiparkinsonian drugs, and anesthetic agents)

12. Epidemiology
• In studies of 13,000 orthopedic and burn patients-prevalence was 0.29%#
• Slightly more prominent in males (M:F 1.5:1)
• A review of more than 400 cases of colonic pseudo-obstruction cases over a period
of 15 years - reported a mean patient age of 56.5 years for females and 59.9 years
for males. $
• Mortality has been documented to be 14% in medically treated patients and 30%
in surgically treated patients.
# Kadesky K, Purdue GF, Hunt JL. Acute pseudo-obstruction in critically ill patients with burns. J Burn Care Rehabil. 1995 Mar-Apr. 16(2
Pt 1):132-5
$ Vanek VW, Al-Salti M. Acute pseudo-obstruction of the colon (Ogilvie's syndrome). An analysis of 400 cases. Dis Colon Rectum. 1986
Mar. 29(3):203-10.

13. Complications
• Can lead to ischemic necrosis in the massively dilated intestinal segments
• Volvulus
• The most serious complication of colonic pseudo-obstruction is
perforation of the cecum.
• The reported incidence of caecal perforation is 3-40%, and the
associated mortality is 40-50%.
• A caecal diameter greater than 14 cm, a delay in colonic decompression,
and advanced age are all predictors of colonic perforation
Dorudi S, Berry AR, Kettlewell MG. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction. Br J Surg. 1992 Feb. 79(2):99-103. [Medline].

14. Clinical Presentation
• Occurs most commonly in debilitated, hospitalized patients with multiple medical
problems
• Surgical patients –symptoms usually insidious in onset,
an average of 3-5 days postoperatively.
• Abdominal pain (80%)
• Nausea and vomiting (80%)
• Obstipation (40%)
• 40% may have a recent history of flatus or passage of stool
• Fever (37%)
Alwan MH, van Rij AM. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction. Aust N Z J Surg. 1998 Feb.
68(2):129-32.

15. Physical Examination
• Abdominal distention (90-100%)
• Abdominal tenderness (64%)
• Hypoactive, high pitched, or absent bowel sounds (60%)
• Normal or hyperactive bowel sounds (40%)
• Empty rectum on DRE
• Guarding and rigidity
Vanek VW, Al-Salti M. Acute pseudo-obstruction of the colon (Ogilvie's syndrome). An analysis of 400 cases. Dis Colon
Rectum. 1986 Mar. 29(3):203-10.

16. Workup
• Hyponatremia and hypokalemia can be present -signify dehydration.
• Most useful screening test for intestinal pseudo-obstruction is plain abdominal
X-ray
• The transition between dilated and collapsed bowel is usually near the splenic
flexure but can occasionally occur in the distal or sigmoid colon
• Air-fluid levels are only occasionally observed
• small bowel dilatation can occur, when the ileocecal valve is incompetent
• Flexible colonoscopy can differentiate colonic pseudo-obstruction from
mechanical colonic obstruction and can also serve a therapeutic function when
colonic decompression is performed
Grassi R, Cappabianca S, Porto A, et al. Ogilvie's syndrome (acute colonic pseudo-obstruction): review of the literature and report of
6 additional cases. Radiol Med. 2005 Apr. 109(4):370-5.

18. • Abdominal CT scan is very helpful to confirm the diagnosis by
excluding mechanical obstruction and toxic megacolon

19. • Younger age at the time of diagnosis,
• Abdominal distention as a chief complaint,
• Greater caecal diameter
-independently associated with poor responses to medical treatment.
Lee KJ, Jung KW, Myung SJ, et al. The clinical characteristics of colonic pseudo-obstruction and the factors associated
with medical treatment response: a study based on a multicenter database in Korea. J Korean Med Sci. 2014 May. 29
(5):699-703

20. MedicalTreatment
• Conservative therapy:
• NPO
• Decompressive nasogastric tube
• Maintenance IV fluids
• Bowel regimen – scheduled suppositories / enemas
• Discontinue offending agents
• Treatment of infections
• Incentive spirometry and intermittent positive-pressure breathing may
aggravate colonic dilatation and should be avoided if possible.
• Changing the patient’s position in bed may help mobilize intestinal gas.
Manten HD. Pseudo-obstruction. Haubrich WS, Schaffner F, Berk JE eds. Bockus Gastroenterology. Philadelphia: WB Saunders
Co; 1995. Vol 2: 1249-67.

21. Neostigmine
• Neostigmine is effective in treating 85-90%
• Should be administered only in patients without any mechanical colonic obstruction.
• Adverse effects
• salivation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bradycardia, hypotension, and
bronchospasm.
• Patients should undergo cardiac monitoring, and atropine should be readily available
during the administration.
• A slow infusion may carry a lower risk of bradycardic episodes than an IV bolus does.
Halverson A. Acute colonic pseudoobstruction. Cameron JL, ed. Current Surgical Therapy. 9th ed.
Philadelphia: Mosby-Elsevier; 2008. 192-5.

22. • In a prospective placebo-controlled trial
• Neostigmine infusion was also found to resolve critical illness−related colonic
ileus in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with multiple organ failure.
• In this trial, neostigmine was administered via continuous IV infusion at a dosage
of 0.4-0.8 mg/hr over 24 hours.
van der Spoel JI, Oudemans-van Straaten HM, Stoutenbeek CP, Bosman RJ, Zandstra DF. Neostigmine resolves critical illness-related
colonic ileus in intensive care patients with multiple organ failure--a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Intensive Care
Med. 2001 May.

23. • In 1999, Ponec et al conducted the
first randomized controlled study
using neostigmine.
• Randomly assigned 21 patients to
receive either 2 mg of neostigmine IV
or placebo
Ponec RJ, Saunders MD, Kimmey MB. Neostigmine for the treatment of acute colonic pseudo-obstruction. N
Engl J Med. 1999 Jul 15.

24. Other Medications
• Lactulose or low-dose polyethylene glycol (both of which are nonabsorbable,
nonmetabolized osmotic agents)
• Daily bisacodyl suppositories helpful to induce rectal emptying and prevent
recurrences.
• Erythromycin, a motilin like agent.
• Methylnaltrexone, a peripherally acting opioid antagonist, has been reported to
be effective in a patient on opioids following surgery
Attar A, Lemann M, Ferguson A, et al. Comparison of a low dose polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution with lactulose for treatment of
chronic constipation. Gut. 1999 Feb. 44(2):226-30.

25. Colonoscopic Decompression
• Documented success rates ranging from 77% to 86% with morbidities of only 0.2-
2%.
• A study report that retrospectively assessed 100 patients over a period of 10
years concluded that colonoscopy is superior to neostigmine and should be
considered first-line therapy.
• Any sign of mucosal ischemia (eg, mucosal ulceration, submucosal hemorrhage,
or friable mucosa with yellow exudates) indicates the need for urgent laparotomy
Tsirline VB, Zemlyak AY, Avery MJ, et al. Colonoscopy is superior to neostigmine in the treatment of Ogilvie's
syndrome. Am J Surg. 2012 Dec. 204(6):849-55; discussion 855.
Fiorito JJ, Schoen RE, Brandt LJ. Pseudo-obstruction associated with colonic ischemia: successful management
with colonoscopic decompression. Am J Gastroenterol. 1991 Oct. 86(10):1472-6.

26. • Mean durations of conservative management ranging from 3 days to 6.5 days
and have reported even longer periods if clinical signs of perforation were absent
and caecal diameters were less than 9 cm
• Analysis of 1027 cases reported in the literature concluded that a nonoperative
approach (including conservative measures and colonoscopic decompression as
the initial therapy of choice) was associated with few complications and high
efficacy.#
• Early recognition and prompt appropriate conservative therapy could lower
morbidity and mortality and can reduce the number of cases requiring surgical
intervention$
# Wegener M, Borsch G. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome). Presentation of 14 of our own cases and analysis of
1027 cases reported in the literature. Surg Endosc. 1987.
$ Carcoforo P, Jorizzo EF, Maestroni U, Soliani G, Bergossi L, Pozza E. A new approach to the cure of the Ogilvie's syndrome. Ann Ital
Chir. 2005 Jan-Feb

27. SurgicalTreatment
• In cases of acute colonic dilatation without perforation or ischemia, tube
cecostomy should be considered.
• This procedure can be performed via an open, a percutaneous, or a laparoscopic
approach.
• In some patients, this procedure is curative, and the tube may later be removed
without the need for subsequent surgical intervention
• laparotomy is indicated if signs and symptoms of ischemia or perforation are
present or if colonoscopy confirms ischemia

28. Percutaneous Emergency Needle Caecostomy for Prevention of Caecal Perforation
Alexandra M. Limmer , Zackariah Clement 2017 case report

29. Our Experience