Bergeron E, Gologan A. Abdominal compartment syndrome with colonic hypoganglionosis and massive colonic distension in a young adult: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(33): 112684 [PMID: 41356083 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i33.112684]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Eric Bergeron, MD, MSc, Department of Surgery, Charles LeMoyne Hospital, 3120 Boulevard Taschereau, Greenfield Park J4V 2H1, Quebec, Canada. eric.bergeron.med@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
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Surgery
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Case Report
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Nov 26, 2025 (publication date) through Jan 5, 2026
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World Journal of Clinical Cases
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Bergeron E, Gologan A. Abdominal compartment syndrome with colonic hypoganglionosis and massive colonic distension in a young adult: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(33): 112684 [PMID: 41356083 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i33.112684]
World J Clin Cases. Nov 26, 2025; 13(33): 112684 Published online Nov 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i33.112684
Abdominal compartment syndrome with colonic hypoganglionosis and massive colonic distension in a young adult: A case report
Eric Bergeron, Adrian Gologan
Eric Bergeron, Department of Surgery, Charles LeMoyne Hospital, Greenfield Park J4V 2H1, Quebec, Canada
Adrian Gologan, Department of Pathology, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal H3T 1E2, Quebec, Canada
Author contributions: Bergeron E managed the case, provided clinical images and radiology material; Gologan A provided histological material and pathology expertise; Bergeron E and Gologan A wrote the manuscript and revised the final version.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Eric Bergeron, MD, MSc, Department of Surgery, Charles LeMoyne Hospital, 3120 Boulevard Taschereau, Greenfield Park J4V 2H1, Quebec, Canada. eric.bergeron.med@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Received: August 4, 2025 Revised: August 26, 2025 Accepted: November 5, 2025 Published online: November 26, 2025 Processing time: 110 Days and 15 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Hypoganglionosis is a rare gastrointestinal acquired motility disorder that resembles Hirschsprung’s disease and can manifest in the adult life. Abdominal compartment syndrome, a condition characterized by an increase in intra-abdominal pressure with physiological disturbance can be caused by severe massive fecal impaction.
CASE SUMMARY
A 33-year-old female presented to the emergency room with massive abdominal distension that rapidly progressed to abdominal compartment syndrome. The patient was diagnosed with hypoganglionosis. Life-saving emergent proctocolectomy was performed to save the patient.
CONCLUSION
Abdominal compartment syndrome can develop secondary to excessive colonic distension. This extreme but rare situation must be addressed immediately. Hypoganglionosis is a potential cause of severe constipation that may present in adulthood.
Core Tip: We present a case of abdominal compartment syndrome, a condition characterized by increased intra-abdominal pressure causing severe physiological disturbance and multiorgan failure. This situation can occur with a rare gastrointestinal acquired motility disorder called hypoganglionosis. We learned that such condition could present in adult life, developing massive colonic distension, fecal impaction and overwhelming abdominal distension causing abdominal compartment syndrome. It should be recognized that emergency life-saving resection may become necessary in such cases.
