The report is the first on intestinal pseudoobstruction in german literature. The most impressive clinical signs and symptoms in our case were uncharacteristic abdominal discomfort, flatulence, and relapsing diarrhoe over a period of two decades. Finally we observed periods of inappetence, occasional vomiting a few hours after food intake and kachexia developing in 8 months. A localized dilatation of the duodenum and upper jejunum associated with complete atonia was found by laparatomy. The dilated segment of the intestine was largely resected. An impressive decrease in the thickness of the muscularis propria with splitting of muscle fibres and intact neural plexus was found by histology. After treatment with antibiotics it came to a satisfying restitution of the patient. The hitherto very rare clinical syndrome of localized dilatation of intestine with severe disturbance of motility and the published cases of the world literature are discussed.