Neostigmine for the treatment of pediatric acute colonic pseudo-obstruction

Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (ie, Ogilvie's syndrome) is an uncommon but serious condition in the pediatric population. Definitive management traditionally has consisted of endoscopic decompression. Recent studies have documented the effectiveness of neostigmine as a pharmacologic alternative to mechanical decompression. To date, however, this literature has focused exclusively on the adult population. The authors present the first reported case of the successful administration of neostigmine to treat acute colonic pseudo-obstruction in a child.