title: Familial visceral myopathy: the role of surgery.
abstract: Familial visceral myopathy is a form of chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction in which fibrosis of the smooth muscle of the alimentary tract causes protean symptoms of disordered visceral motility. Based on our 8 year observation of six members of one family with familial visceral myopathy and review of the few well-documented case reports of this disease, we have confirmed a role for surgeons in tissue diagnosis, case identification, and palliation of incapacitating symptoms of familial visceral myopathy after obtaining dynamic radiographic assessment of the entire alimentary canal. Because the duodenum and colon are the usual sources of major dysmotility symptoms, patients incapacitated by duodenal or colonic pseudoobstruction may benefit from bypass or resective operations.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D003248:Constipation / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D001466:Barium Sulfate