Is there a medical condition where the large intestine is too long and becomes twisty?

4 Comments

1. reifguy says:

   July 28, 2009 at 11:57 am

   there is megacolon ,such as in chagas disease(due to nerve damage),could be congenital also,,there is another condition called volvolous in which the colon twists around its root mesentery and can cut of blood supply and cause obstruction and gangrene
2. Megan G says:

   July 28, 2009 at 11:57 am

   Yes. I know it exists. My aunt had it.

   they had let it go for a while, but then the body tried to right itself and the excess tissue folded over itself… (think of it this way: you have an empty roll of paper towels. take one of the tops of the cylander and expand it, pulling that same top toward the other opening.) … she had to have the excess tissue removed, it became extremely painful for her to relieve herself.

   It can be very dangerous depending on how severe it is, from what I understand.

   Also, I don’t know all the details of my Aunt’s condition. That is what I -think- happened… what I -know- is that she had to have the tissue that was folded over itself removed and that it was excruciating.
3. D31025 says:

   July 28, 2009 at 11:57 am

   I guess you’re refering to the medical condition called volvulus. In this condition it is not the intestines are long but rather the structures supporting the intestines are either long or loose allowing the intestines to twist. The problem with this is it can stop the blood supply to that part of the intestine eventually causing it to die. Unfortunately when it occurs the only treatment for it is surgery.
4. nobodyinparticular says:

   July 28, 2009 at 11:57 am

   There is a condition called redundant colon in which the colon is longer than normal. Check the link; there is even a diagram there of what it looks like. According to Mayo clinic, this is an anatomic variation and does not cause problems. There is also a condition called dolichocolon, in which the colon is elongated, which is apparently an acquired condition and occurs mostly in the elderly.

   If the colon becomes elongated due to an acquired problem, it may be due to damage to nerves from conditions such as diabetes. In such a case, there may be related problems with volvulus, which is a twisting of the intestine which causes loss of blood suppy and gangrene.

   I did a literature search at the National Library of Medicine website, and found that they used to cut out some of the intestine to treat chronic constipation in people with dolichocolon, but in more recent times this has been found to be ineffective.

   "Megacolon" is a condition in which the diameter of the colon is too large and is unable to effectively move the stool through. It has nothing to do with the length of the colon.