Symptoms of bloating, abdominal distension, and constipation are common in patients with
cirrhosis. These symptoms may be explained by disease-associated effects in gastrointestinal
physiology, as well as medication side-effects. The presence of these symptoms affect quality
of life, as well as risk for encephalopathy. Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin
approved for the treatment prevention of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers. The drug also causes
smooth muscle contraction in the gastrointestinal tract has been shown to improve colonic
motility.
This study aims to assess the efficacy of misoprostol for treating bloating, distension, and
constipation in patients with cirrhosis. Study participants will receive misoprostol for a
duration of three days. Participants will complete pre-intervention and post-intervention
symptom questionnaires and low dose abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan. These measures
will be used to assess subjective symptom scores and objective measurement of intestinal gas
and colonic stool. Post-intervention measures will be compared to pre-intervention measures
to assess improvement of symptoms.