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Suggest Treatment For Toxic Megacolon

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Posted on Fri, 13 Jan 2017
Question: my friend 's colon burst, what would cause that?
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Answered by Dr. Geeta Sundar (42 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
commonest cause of Toxic megacolon that your friend had is fecal impaction

Detailed Answer:
Hi, the commonest cause of Toxic megacolon that your friend had is fecal impaction. A very hard mass of stool gets caught up in the colon and is not able to move forward, causing block, gangrene and burst colon. It happens in people who are constipated.
There may also be other causes of obstruction and gangrene, like a foreign object or a severe localised infection, or even cancer.
Another cause to be considered is diverticulitis. A kind of outgroth in a part of the intestine. This can get choked up, obstructed, and burst.
The danger of a burst colon is that the contents enter the abdominal cavity and cause peritonitis which can be dangerous. Luckily your friend has been diagnosed and admitted on time. She should recover.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar
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Answered by
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Dr. Geeta Sundar

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1975

Answered : 1329 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Toxic Megacolon

Brief Answer: commonest cause of Toxic megacolon that your friend had is fecal impaction Detailed Answer: Hi, the commonest cause of Toxic megacolon that your friend had is fecal impaction. A very hard mass of stool gets caught up in the colon and is not able to move forward, causing block, gangrene and burst colon. It happens in people who are constipated. There may also be other causes of obstruction and gangrene, like a foreign object or a severe localised infection, or even cancer. Another cause to be considered is diverticulitis. A kind of outgroth in a part of the intestine. This can get choked up, obstructed, and burst. The danger of a burst colon is that the contents enter the abdominal cavity and cause peritonitis which can be dangerous. Luckily your friend has been diagnosed and admitted on time. She should recover. Regards