Abstract
A 51-year-old man came to the outpatient clinic of our hospital for a scheduled visit because of chronic abdominal bloating and constipation of four years' duration. Defecation had been relatively well controlled, but sigmoid colon volvulus had started to recur frequently from the last year. He was diagnosed with chronic idiopathic colonic pseudo-obstruction (CICP) with lesion sites in the sigmoid colon and transverse colon, and he underwent a subtotal colectomy for the purpose of preventing volvulus and mitigating his intestinal obstruction symptoms. Resuming oral intake took time, but ultimately he regained sufficient ability to ingest food. Histopathological examination revealed atrophy and reduction of Auerbach's plexus and the ganglion cells at the expansion site. Thus far, no recurrence of intestinal obstruction symptoms has been observed, even though 24 months have elapsed since the surgery. CICP has seldom been reported in Japan, and there are no clear guidelines on its diagnosis or treatment. The details of this case for which subtotal colectomy improved the symptoms are reported, along with a discussion of the literature.
