The colon is about one and a half metres long and plays a vital role in moving waste through the body. In rare cases, it can become so stretched that it begins to lose its ability to work properly, like an elastic band that has lost its spring.

This is known as megacolon. Megacolon is not a single disease, but a term used to describe a colon that has become much wider than normal. The cause is important: some forms develop gradually, while others can become life-threatening within days.

One form of megacolon develops before birth. In Hirschsprung disease, some babies are born without the nerve cells that normally help the lower part of the colon push stool through the bowel. Stool becomes trapped and the section of bowel above the affected area begins to stretch.

Babies with Hirschsprung disease may fail to pass their first stool within the usual time after birth. They can also develop a swollen abdomen, vomiting, constipation or feeding difficulties.

The condition cannot currently be prevented because it develops while the baby is in the womb. Treatment usually involves surgery to remove the section of bowel without the normal nerve supply.

Megacolon that develops later in life

Another form, known as acquired megacolon, develops later in life. Symptoms can include constipation, abdominal bloating and........

© The Conversation