TWO CASES OF OGILVIE'S SYNDROME SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY RADICAL OPERATION, REVIEW OF ITS DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY

Abstract

This paper presents two patients with Ogilvie's syndrome. Patient 1: A 33-year-old female, undergone laparotomy for ileus in 1980, had been well after the operation until 1988. From 1988 she had suffered from constipation. In Dec. 1992 abdominal distension with remarkable dilatation of the colon appeared and she was admitted to the hospital. The condition was treated by conservative measures, and improved. But slight distension continued, so subtotal colectomy was performed with a successful outcome. Patient 2: A 55-year-old male, undergone laparotomy for gastric ulcer in 1988 and Cabrol's operation for AAE in 1992, had abdominal distension with remarkable dilatation of the sigmoid colon in Dec. 1993. The condition was treated by urgent colonoscopic decompression. But slight distension continued, so sigmoidectomy was performed with a succesful outcome. Generally many clinicians believe that initial management for most of patients with this disease is to be treated by conservative measures, while for ones with high risk of perforation by palliative surgical treatment. From our experiences we conclude that radical operation should be performed for patients who have abdominal distension continuousely after conservative treatment for QOL.