MEGACOLON

congenital:

imperforate anus

Hirschsprung's disease*

acquired:

Chagas' disease (Trypanosoma cruzi)*

amyloidosis (decreased colonic motility)*

spinal cord injury

cerebral atrophy

parkinsonism

colonic obstruction (tumour or stricture)

functional 'psychosomatic' disorder

toxic megacolon:

ulcerative colitis

Crohn's disease

pseudomembranous colitis

ischaemic colitis

dysentery

[* denotes absent or destroyed mural ganglia on histology]

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