Cisapride is a gastrointestinal prokinetic that facilitates or restores motility along the entire gastrointestinal tract. It has been used successfully to treat acute and chronic intestinal pseudo-obstructions (CIPs) in adults, but there is a paucity of literature surrounding the treatment of CIP in pediatric patients and therapies for CIP are limited and their impact is often unsatisfactory. This case report presents the use of cisapride in the management of pseudo-obstruction. Treatment with cisapride substantially improved the patient's symptoms and improved feeding tolerance. It improved his prognosis remarkably and prevented the need for end-of-life care. He experienced no adverse effects throughout the course of therapy. The treatment regimen is discussed in this case report.
Keywords: case report; children; chronic intestinal pseudo-obstructions; cisapride; feeding tolerance; hospice and palliative care.