Long-term Constipation Research Articles

Intestinal obstruction secondary to a colonic lithobezoar

A bezoar is an accumulation of indigestible exogenous matter in the stomach and intestine. A myriad of ingested substances have been found impacted in the digestive tract. Bezoars are uncommon causes of intestinal obtruction during childhood. Lithobezoar, an accumulation of ingested stones within the alimentary tract, is an extremely rare clinical entity. We report one such case in a 9-year-old boy with a history of pica and long-term constipation resulting in intestinal obstruction secondary to a colonic lithobezoar. Only two such cases have been reported previously.

Abdominal massage for the treatment of idiopathic constipation in children with profound learning disabilities: a single case study design

Accessible summary This report describes how abdominal massage was provided to five children, to see if it would help with their constipation. Children and adults with learning disabilities often have long‐term constipation that is treated with laxatives. The abdominal massage was not effective for all the children. However the parents enjoyed doing the massage and all thought that it was a helpful and enjoyable experience for them and their children. SummaryChronic constipation is a common problem in people with learning disabilities. Treatment often involves dietary changes or long‐term laxative use. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of abdominal massage. The participants were five children with profound learning disabilities and additional physical difficulties. Their long‐standing idiopathic constipation was managed by laxatives. Intervention lasted up to 35 weeks, during which participants received 20 min of massage at least twice daily. Parents were asked to maintain stable use of laxatives during the intervention phase, although some chose to withdraw laxatives during abdominal massage intervention. Abdominal massage appeared to result in stools of a more ‘normal’ consistency in some cases. However, no significant differences were found in stool frequency. Parents reported that abdominal massage was a positive experience. In addition, they believed that massage was an effective treatment for constipation. As a result, laxative use was reduced in some cases, apparently with no ill‐effects. These subjective beliefs were not, however, generally borne out by the objective results.