Dolichocolon is an abnormally long

large intestine The large intestine, also known as the large bowel, is the last part of the gastrointestinal tract and of the Digestion, digestive system in tetrapods. Water is absorbed here and the remaining waste material is stored in the rectum as feces befor ...

.Dolichocolon
- definition from CancerWeb at

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

. It should not be confused with an abnormally wide large intestine, which is called a

megacolon Megacolon is an abnormal dilation of the colon (anatomy), colon (also called the large intestine). This leads to hypertrophy of the colon. The dilation is often accompanied by a paralysis of the peristalsis, peristaltic movements of the bowel. In ...

. Dolichocolon may predispose to abnormal rotation (see

volvulus A volvulus is when a loop of intestine twists around itself and the mesentery that supports it, resulting in a bowel obstruction. Symptoms include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, vomiting, constipation, and bloody stool. Onset of symp ...

) and interposition between the diaphragm and the liver (see

Chilaiditi syndrome Chilaiditi syndrome is a rare condition when pain occurs due to transposition of a loop of large intestine (usually transverse colon) in between the diaphragm and the liver, visible on plain abdominal X-ray or chest X-ray. Normally this causes n ...

). It is more commonly seen in the

elderly Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

, some psychiatric patients or in institutionalised individuals. It is not, however, a part of normal aging. The exact cause remains unknown. Dolichocolon is often an incidental finding on

abdominal X-ray An abdominal x-ray is an x-ray of the abdomen. It is sometimes abbreviated to AXR, or KUB (for kidneys, ureters, and urinary bladder). Indications In adults, abdominal X-rays have a very low specificity and cannot rule out suspected obstructi ...

s or

colonoscopy Colonoscopy () or coloscopy () is a medical procedure involving the Endoscopy, endoscopic examination of the large bowel (colon) and the distal portion of the small bowel. This examination is performed using either a Charge-coupled device, CCD ...

. It is not by itself a disease and as such requires no treatment. The term is from

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

'' dolichos'', the long distance in running, and colon.

References

External links

{{Congenital malformations and deformations of digestive system Gastroenterology Congenital disorders of digestive system