CISAPRIDE AS A SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT FOR ACUTE INTESTINAL PSEUDOOBSTRUCTION

Cisapride has been used in the treatment of chronic intestinal pseudo- obstruction with some success; however, the use of cisapride in the tr eatment of acute pseudo-obstruction has not been adequately studied. W e describe a cease of acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction successfully treated with cisapride, To our knowledge, this is the second such cas e reported in the English language literature. Our patient's acute int estinal pseudoobstruction was probably precipitated by pneumonia and s epsis, and the prompt resolution of his intestinal pseudo-obstruction after initiation of cisapride therapy (despite progressive deteriorati on off his overall clinical status) implicates cisapride as the cause of the improved intestinal function. Therefore, we suggest that a tria l of cisapride be considered for patients with acute intestinal pseudo -obstruction when other therapeutic maneuvers have failed.