What is the Difference Between Ogilvie’s Syndrome and Paralytic Ileus

The key difference between Ogilvie’s syndrome and paralytic ileus is that Ogilvie’s syndrome is a condition that causes paralysis of the cecum of the large intestine, while paralytic ileus is a condition that causes paralysis of the small intestine and stomach.

Ogilvie’s syndrome and paralytic ileus are two conditions that are responsible for the paralysis of certain parts of the digestive system. Both these conditions lead to intestinal pseudo-obstruction. However, Ogilvie’s syndrome specifically affects the right colon (mainly cecum), whereas paralytic ileus affects both the right and left colon (small intestine). Other than that, it can also affect the stomach. Ogilvie’s syndrome is uncommon and tends to be more complex than paralytic ileus.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Ogilvie’s Syndrome 
3. What is Paralytic Ileus
4. Similarities – Ogilvie’s Syndrome and Paralytic Ileus
5. Ogilvie’s Syndrome vs. Paralytic Ileus in Tabular Form
6. FAQ: Ogilvie’s Syndrome and Paralytic Ileus
7. Summary – Ogilvie’s Syndrome vs. Paralytic Ileus

What is Ogilvie’s Syndrome?

Ogilvie syndrome is a condition that causes acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction or unexplained paralysis of the colon. It specifically affects the cecum of the large intestine. The average age of the people affected is 60. Additionally, it’s reported that approximately 1 in 1000 individuals require hospital admission due to this condition. The typical symptoms of this condition may include abdominal distension, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, bloating and gas, constipation, or diarrhea. This condition arises due to the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. In addition, Ogilvie syndrome can be triggered through acute medical conditions, preexisting health factors, and medications.

Moreover, Ogilvie syndrome can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation and imaging studies such as CT scan, fluoroscopy, and X-ray. Some treatment options for Ogilvie syndrome are managing the underlying condition, discontinuing medications triggering this condition, bowel rest, intravenous fluid, hydration and correcting electrolyte imbalance, taking walks or moving into different positions, nasogastric tube to suction out air and fluids from the stomach, rectal tube to drain air and fluids by gravity, colonoscopic decompression, neostigmine injection, and colectomy.

What is Paralytic Ileus?

Paralytic ileus occurs in both the right and left colon. It specifically affects the small intestine and stomach. Its symptoms may include abdominal bloating, abdominal distention, gas, constipation, nausea and vomiting, and dehydration. Surgery, inflammation, medications, electrolyte imbalances, and other causes such as renal failure, respiratory failure, pneumonia, spinal cord injury, mesenteric artery ischemia, diabetes-related ketoacidosis, hypothyroidism, heart attack, and thyroid diseases can cause paralytic ileus.

Diagnosis of paralytic ileus can be done through medical history, physical examination, and imaging tests such as X-ray and abdominal ultrasound. Furthermore, treatment options for paralytic ileus may include bowel rest, parenteral nutrition, prokinetics, and nasogastric tube.

What are the Similarities Between Cellulitis and Filariasis?

• Ogilvie’s syndrome and paralytic ileus are two conditions causing paralysis of certain parts of the digestive system.
• Both these conditions cause intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
• They are acute conditions.
• They may have similar symptoms, such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, etc.
• Both these conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging tests.
• They can be treated through specific therapies.

What is the Difference Between Ogilvie’s Syndrome and Paralytic Ileus?

Ogilvie’s syndrome is a condition that causes paralysis of the cecum of the large intestine, while paralytic ileus is a condition that causes paralysis of the small intestine and stomach. Thus, this is the key difference between Ogilvie’s syndrome and paralytic ileus. Furthermore, Ogilvie’s syndrome is caused by the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system that can be triggered through acute medical conditions, preexisting health factors, and medications. On the other hand, paralytic ileus is caused by surgery, inflammation, medications, electrolyte imbalances, and other causes such as renal failure, respiratory failure, pneumonia, spinal cord injury, mesenteric artery ischemia, diabetes-related ketoacidosis, hypothyroidism, heart attack, and thyroid diseases.

The infographic below presents the differences between Ogilvie’s syndrome and paralytic ileus in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

FAQ: Ogilvie’s Syndrome and Paralytic Ileus

What is another name for Ogilvie’s syndrome?

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction(ACPO) is another name for Ogilvie’s syndrome.

What is another name for a paralytic ileus?

Pseudo-obstruction is another name for paralytic ileus.

What are two types of ileus?

The two types of ileus are partial and complete ileus. Partial ileus involves a partial blockage of the intestines, allowing some bowel movements, while complete ileus is a more severe form involving a complete obstruction, with no passage of gas or stool beyond the blockage.

Summary – Ogilvie’s Syndrome vs. Paralytic Ileus

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction occurs when nerve or muscle problems slow or stop the movement of food, fluid, air, and waste through the intestine, which ultimately leads to intestinal blockages. Ogilvie’s syndrome and paralytic ileus are two conditions that result in intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Ogilvie’s syndrome causes paralysis of the cecum of the large intestine, while paralytic ileus causes paralysis of the small intestine and stomach. So, this summarizes the difference between Ogilvie’s syndrome and paralytic ileus.

Reference:

1. “Ogilvie Syndrome – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment.” National Organization for Rare Disorders.
2. “Paralytic Ileus: Definition, Causes, Symptoms & Treatments.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Ogilvie ct coronal” By Milliways – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia