Patient's question:
Dr. Yu, hello! According to your suggestion, I took my child to the hospital for a check-up: lower gastrointestinal barium study, including an enema examination. The results are: sigmoid colon tortuosity and redundancy, poor barium excretion function. Could you please advise on how to address this, Dr. Yu? Thank you for your reply!Doctor's answer:
If the sigmoid colon is congenitally elongated, prolapsed, and forms a sharp angle with the rectum, it can lead to progressive excessive peristalsis of the sigmoid colon. Over time, this can result in fatigue-related damage. If the sac-like structure of the sigmoid colon disappears, it can preliminarily indicate the loss of peristaltic function. Surgical specimens confirmed that the dilated, sac-like-absent sigmoid colon often shows a deficiency of myenteric ganglia, appearing sparse, and the intestinal muscle also exhibits degeneration. Patients can frequently perform prone-knee exercises to strengthen mesenteric tension, reduce angulation, and facilitate defecation. Severe cases may require partial resection.The coiling of the sigmoid colon can be confirmed through barium enema and defecography. In some cases, the sigmoid colon may coil once, twice, but the most common is four coils. Intestinal coiling increases defecation resistance. During straining, abdominal pressure is directed downward in a vertical position, while coiled intestines can form multiple angles, making defecation even more difficult.