Postoperative intestinal atony is a paralysis of the bowel that occurs after an operation. In simple terms, the intestine can be imagined as a muscle tube whose task is, among other things, to digest and transport the food that has been taken in. The intestine has its own nervous system, which stimulates the muscles in the intestine to tense up.
By regularly tensing and relaxing the muscles of the intestine, the food is always pushed a little further. In postoperative intestinal atony, the intestinal nervous system is temporarily misregulated due to the operation, resulting in paralysis of the intestinal muscles. This can lead to various complaints, such as abdominal pain and nausea.
How long the intestine remains paralyzed depends on the type and duration of the operation. For the duration of the paralysis it also plays a role which part of the intestine is affected. For example, paralysis of the large intestine usually lasts longer than paralysis of the small intestine. Postoperative intestinal atony does not only occur after operations on the intestine itself, but can also occur after operations on the kidney, bladder or sexual organs of men and women.
Cause
In postoperative intestinal atony, an operation that temporarily leads to a malfunction of the intestinal nervous system is the reason for paralysis of the intestinal muscles. How exactly this malfunctioning of the intestinal nervous system occurs in postoperative intestinal atony has not yet been conclusively clarified. However, an inflammation triggered by certain cells in the intestine, as well as a direct mechanical irritation of the intestine and other factors are suspected. Further causes for paralysis of the intestinal muscles without previous surgery are, for example, circulatory disorders or congenital malformations of the intestine.
Symptoms
Typical symptoms that occur in postoperative intestinal atony are constipation and even stool retention. This leads to abdominal pain, a bloated abdomen, nausea and possibly even vomiting. In addition, patients suffering from post-operative intestinal atony have an increased risk of infections because the time of their stay in hospital is prolonged.
If postoperative intestinal atony persists, complications may occur. A complication of postoperative intestinal atony is for example a complete intestinal obstruction. The complete intestinal obstruction causes a massive inflammation in the intestine with oxygen deficiency of the intestinal wall, which leads to severe abdominal pain. If the intestinal wall is destroyed by the oxygen deficiency, bleeding and blood in the stool may occur. In the worst case, intestinal bacteria enter the abdominal cavity through the damaged intestinal wall, resulting in peritonitis, which is always life-threatening.