Medicaltalks over 6 years ago

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This isn't just a colon, it's a super gigantic megacolon being resected!!! A megacolon denotes dilation of the colon that is not caused by mechanical obstruction. The common and useful measurement for diagnosing it is when the cecum is greater than 12cm (normally varies between 6-9 cm), the rectosigmoid region greater than 6.5 cm and the ascending colon greater than 8 cm. A congenial megacolon is called Hirschsprung's disease, in which nerve cells of the myenteric plexus are absent, it typically affects babies, and therefore isn't the case here. On the other hand, a toxic megacolon is a potentially lethal complication of inflammatory bowel disease or infectious colitis that is characterized by total or segmental nonobstructive colonic swelling and dilatation due to inflammation and accumulation of excessive amounts of gas plus systemic toxicity. Further complications like septic shock, hemorrhage and peritonitis rarely occur. The goal of the treatment is to decompress the bowel and to prevent swallowed air from further distending the bowel. A colectomy (surgical resection of all of part of the colon) is usually indicated if the megacolon worsens.