Abstract
An 80-year-old woman was admitted due to abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and vomiting. On abdominal CT scan, there was marked dilatation of the colon. However, no organic disease was noted on colonoscopy and contrast enema. The patient did not improve on conservative medical treatment, and she went into shock. Emergency surgery was done, and an artificial anus was created in the dilated transverse colon. During surgery, no abnormalities were found in the colon. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged 19 days after surgery. On histopathology, the nerve plexus of the transverse colon was normal. One should consider acute colonic pseudo-obstruction as a cause of colonic ileus. It is rapidly progressive and emergency surgery is required in seriously ill patients.
