Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome) is a disorder characterized by gross dilatation of colon in the absence of an obstructing anatomic lesion.The precise etiology by which colonic dilation occurs is not fully understood.It generally develops in hospitalized patients and is associated with a wide variety of medical and surgical conditions.Most cases respond to conservative management.We describe a case of a 42 year old female with massive colonic dilation and no obstructing lesions.She developed respiratory failure due to severe abdominal distension.Overnight nasogastric decompression along with repletion of potassium led to complete resolution of abdominal distension and respiratory failure.