A case of abdominal compartment syndrome derived from simple elongated sigmoid colon in an elderly man

INTRODUCTION: Abdominal compartment syndrome or intra-abdominal hypertension may occur after intra-abdominal events, but their etiology and clinical signs remain unclear. We report a case of abdominal compartment syndrome in an elderly patient without other risk factors. PRESENTATION OF CASE: An 86-year-old man had been admitted to our hospital several times for a dilated sigmoid colon with elongation, and had complained about abdominal pain and abdominal fullness. At every admission we decompressed the sigmoid colon gas by colonoscopy, resulting in early discharge the following day. Recently, the patient developed dementia and experienced reduced activities of daily living that are common with aging. He frequently complained of severe abdominal distension with hypotension, tachycardia and tachypnea, and finally entered hospital twice a week. We decided to perform elective surgery, which showed abdominal compartment syndrome caused by elongated sigmoid colon without volvulus (the first reported case). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Considering the increase in the aging population, we must bear in mind that abdominal compartment syndrome may occur in simple elongated sigmoid colon without other risk factors.