n :  distension of the colon that is similar to that occurring as a consequence of bowel obstruction but in which no physical obstruction exists and that occurs esp. in seriously ill individuals and as a complication of abdominal surgery
 
Ogilvie, Sir William Heneage (1887-1971), British surgeon. Ogilvie's major professional association was with Guy's Hospital in London. He also served as an examiner in surgery for the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and as editor of the journal Practitioner. He wrote a number of surgical treatises, contributed chapters to textbooks on surgery, and published monographs on bone fractures and hernias. His description of Ogilvie's syndrome was the subject of a 1948 article.
 
 
 
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