Idiopathic Myenteric Ganglionitis Underlying Acute ‘Dramatic’ Intestinal Pseudoobstruction: Report of an Exceptional Case

Inflammation of the myenteric plexus of the gastrointestinal tract is a very rare pathological condition, with few reports in the medical literature. This pathological condition causes atonic gut motor dysfunction and is principally secondary to other diseases, being reported nearly solely as a para...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Case reports in gastroenterology 2008-11, Vol.2 (3), p.461-468
Main Authors: Racalbuto, A., Magro, G., Lanteri, R., Aliotta, I., Santangelo, M., Di Cataldo, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute intestinal pseudoobstruction
Idiopathic constipation
Myenteric ganglionitis
Published: November 2008
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Summary:Inflammation of the myenteric plexus of the gastrointestinal tract is a very rare pathological condition, with few reports in the medical literature. This pathological condition causes atonic gut motor dysfunction and is principally secondary to other diseases, being reported nearly solely as a paraneoplastic phenomenon in neuroendocrine lung tumors, including small cell carcinomas or neuroblastomas. In addition it can also be associated with disorders of the central nervous system, although it has rarely been described in Chagas disease. It has been named ‘idiopathic myenteric ganglionitis’ because no apparent causes can be demonstrated. We report the clinicopathologic findings of an exceptional case of a young woman affected by severe chronic constipation suddenly changing into acute intestinal pseudoobstruction with dramatic evolution. Relationships between ganglionitis, idiopathic constipation and acute intestinal pseudoobstruction as well as therapeutic implications are discussed.
ISSN:1662-0631
1662-0631
DOI:10.1159/000164309