Treatment for Ogilvie syndrome, which is a serious problem that causes excessive bowel dilation, should be guided by a gastroenterologist and is usually done while in hospital 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 started with resting food, injections of serum 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 medication, called Neostigmine, which helps to decompress the intestine, but which can cause several side effects, especially in patients with heart problems., kidney disease or history of gastroduodenal ulcer.
In the most severe cases, in which none of the treatments indicated above has effects or there is a high risk of having a complication, surgery can be used to perform a temporary cecostomy, which consists of a connection of the intestine directly to the skin to decrease the pressure within the tract. intestinal and relieve symptoms.
Diagnosis of Ogilvie 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. See how the enema is done in: Opaque enema.
In addition to diagnosing Ogilvie syndrome, the tests used can also help to identify injuries, such as abdominal bleeding or retroperitoneal tumor, which may be causing the problem to arise, facilitating treatment.
Symptoms of Ogilvie syndrome
The main symptoms of Olgivie syndrome include:
- Intense pain in the belly; Swollen belly; Nausea and vomiting; Alteration in the intestinal transit, mainly constipation; Fever above 38ยบ 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 and Alzheimer, or who are being treated with antidepressant drugs, morphine or antiparkinsonians.
