Treatment for Ogilvie syndrome, which is a serious problem that causes excessive bowel dilation, should be guided by a gastroenterologist and is usually done in hospital admission to make a constant assessment of the patient and avoid the development of serious complications such as perforation of the intestine, for example.
Generally, treatment is initiated with food rest, serum injections directly into the vein and placement of a nasogastric tube, from the mouth to the stomach, to help relieve pressure within the intestine.
However, if there is no improvement in symptoms after 3 days of treatment, the doctor may also recommend the administration of a medicine, called Neostigmine, which helps to decompress the bowel but can cause various side effects, especially in patients with heart problems, kidney disease or history of gastroduodenal ulcer.
In more severe cases, where none of the treatments indicated above has any effects or there is a high risk of having a complication, surgery may be used to perform a temporary cecostomy consisting of a connection of the intestine directly to the skin to decrease pressure within the treatment intestinal and relieve symptoms.
Diagnosis of Ogilvie's syndrome
The diagnosis of Ogilvie syndrome can be made through the observation and palpation of the belly by a gastroenterologist and the performance of diagnostic tests such as abdominal X-ray, opaque enema or abdominal computed tomography. Here's how the enema is done in: Opaque Enema.
In addition to diagnosing Ogilvie syndrome, the tests used may also help identify lesions, such as abdominal bleeding or retroperitoneal tumor, which may be causing the problem to appear, making treatment easier.
Symptoms of Ogilvie's syndrome
The main symptoms of Olgivie's syndrome include:
- Severe pain in the belly;
- Swollen belly;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Change in bowel habits, especially constipation;
- Fever above 38º C.
These symptoms may appear gradually, becoming more intense about 24 hours after the development of the problem and are more frequent in patients with a history of intestinal surgery, degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, or who are being treated with antidepressant drugs, morphine or antiparkinsonians.
