Postpartum Acute Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction (Ogilvie's Syndrome): A systematic review of case reports and case series

No specific risk factors could be identified for postpartum ACPO. A postpartum patient with abdominal distension and pain should have appropriate imaging to rule out colonic dilatation and/or perforation. Perforation may occur with a caecal diameter of less than 9 cm but it is more likely if the diameter exceeded 12 cm. The mortality risk appears to be low in the postpartum group compared to other patients with ACPO. There is a need for establishing national level databases to capture all the relevant data in a consistent manner, to understand this rare disease process.