Intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome in a child with myotonic dystrophy.

Gastrointestinal symptoms in myotonic dystrophy are increasingly observed, but major intestinal movement disorders such as intestinal pseudo-obstruction appear to be an infrequent complication. We describe a 13-year-old boy who, after appendectomy, developed intestinal pseudo-obstruction syndrome as the first clinical manifestation of myotonic dystrophy. He developed several similar episodes thereafter, which responded to conservative measures. When a child with myotonic dystrophy presents with an ileus, the diagnosis of intestinal pseudo-obstruction should be considered and therapy should then be conservative.