Studies In Abdominal Distention

Experiments have increased in number within recent years on the problem of Abdominal Distention. Gatch has stated that distention is the primary cause of death from all forms of bowel obstruction, mechanical or paralytic, and most of the other supposed and suggested causes of death cannot exist in the absence of distention. Gilbert, Leroy and Feun have performed a number of experiments showing the effect of abdominal distention on coronary blood flow. In these experiments they have shown that distention of the stomach with air causes a decrease in coronary flow, mediated by a reflex over the vagus nerve causing vasoconstriction of the coronary vessels, as is typical of Angina Pectoris, van Duyn has shown that abdominal distention is concluded to be at least one important cause of a degenerative leucocyte picture. The importance of this problem reflects itself in the great questions concerning gaseous distention of the stomach and intestine, present in obstruction of the bowel and in some cases of Peritonitis associated with Acute Appendicitis. Also involved is this problem, although more chronically, is the distention of the abdomen during the presence of tumors and during pregnancy