Acute pseudo-obstruction of the colon following left-sided total hip replacement: an analysis of five patients.

We report five cases of acute large bowel pseudo-obstruction following left-sided total hip replacement. All five cases presented with a similar sequence of clinical symptoms and physical signs. Acetabular trauma and heat generation from bone cement may lead to an imbalance of the autonomic nervous supply of the colon. We discuss a possible explanation for this phenomenon. We conclude that this condition is probably more common after total hip replacement than is currently diagnosed.