Intraluminal manometric studies performed on 12 patients with chronic Chagas disease and megacolon without clinical or radiological abnormalities of the oesophagus showed no alteration in oesophageal physiology under basal conditions when compared with a control group of 30 healthy subjects. Oesophageal peristalsis was unimpaired. Patients with chronic Chagas disease and megacolon differed from...

The Ncx/Hox11L.1 gene, a member of the Hox11 homeobox gene family, is mainly expressed in neural crest-derived tissues. To elucidate the role of Ncx/Hox11L.1, the gene has been inactivated in embryonic stem cells by homologous recombination. The homozygous mutant mice were viable. These mice developed megacolon with enteric ganglia by age 3-5 wk. Histochemical analysis of the ganglia revealed t...

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon; as many as 25% of patients with this disease require hospitalization. The goals of hospitalization are to assess disease severity, exclude infection, administer rapidly acting and highly effective medication regimens, and determine response. During hospitalization, patients should be given venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and ...

acquired Clostridium difficile colitis (CA-CDI): Orville D. Heslop, Karen RoyeGreen, Kathleen Coard, and Michael R. Mulvey Department of Microbiology, University of the West Indies, Jamaica, Department of Pathology, University of the West Indies, Jamaica, National Microbiology Laboratory 1015 Arlington St. Winnipeg, MB R3E 3R2 Abstract Background: Clostridium difficile is the major cause of no...

This case report examines the surgical treatment of megacolon and its complications in a 17-year-old male patient. He was examined in the surgical emergency unit because of severe abdominal pain and absence of stool for one week. Detailed history revealed that the patient had difficulties in defecation from the early childhood. Sphincter control was not established by the age of five. During ho...

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) may present with nonspecific signs and symptoms, though, majority of infants can be asymptomatic. Therefore, understimation and delay in diagnosis may result in severe complications. A 5-month-old female admitted to our clinic with the history of repeated surgical operations due to the diagnosis of congenital aganglionic megacolon. Investigations performed in our ...

Animal models of human diseases are increasingly available and are invaluable for studies of organ pathophysiology. Megacolon, abnormal dilatation of the colon not caused by mechanical obstruction, involves the destruction of the autonomic nervous system innervating the colon. Animal models of megacolon include mouse models of Chagas disease and Hirschprung's disease. Small animal imaging has b...