Skip to main content
PMC home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 2001 Aug;85(2):121–124. doi: 10.1136/adc.85.2.121

Liquid paraffin: a reappraisal of its role in the treatment of constipation

F Sharif 1, E Crushell 1, K O'Driscoll 1, B Bourke 1
PMCID: PMC1718886  PMID: 11466186

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (107.7 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abi-Hanna A., Lake A. M. Constipation and encopresis in childhood. Pediatr Rev. 1998 Jan;19(1):23–31. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baker S. S., Liptak G. S., Colletti R. B., Croffie J. M., Di Lorenzo C., Ector W., Nurko S. Constipation in infants and children: evaluation and treatment. A medical position statement of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1999 Nov;29(5):612–626. doi: 10.1097/00005176-199911000-00029. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Becton D. L., Lowe J. E., Falletta J. M. Lipoid pneumonia in an adolescent girl secondary to use of lip gloss. J Pediatr. 1984 Sep;105(3):421–423. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(84)80017-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Beermann B., Christensson T., Möller P., Stillström A. Lipoid pneumonia: an occupational hazard of fire eaters. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Dec 22;289(6460):1728–1729. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6460.1728. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Berg B. W., Saenger J. S. Images in clinical medicine. Exogenous lipoid pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 1998 Feb 19;338(8):512–512. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199802193380805. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ciravegna B., Sacco O., Moroni C., Silvestri M., Pallecchi A., Loy A., Rossi G. A. Mineral oil lipoid pneumonia in a child with anoxic encephalopathy: treatment by whole lung lavage. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1997 Mar;23(3):233–237. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0496(199703)23:3<233::aid-ppul11>3.0.co;2-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Clark J. H., Russell G. J., Fitzgerald J. F., Nagamori K. E. Serum beta-carotene, retinol, and alpha-tocopherol levels during mineral oil therapy for constipation. Am J Dis Child. 1987 Nov;141(11):1210–1212. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1987.04460110080028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cruickshank B., Thomas M. J. Mineral oil (follicular) lipidosis: II. Histologic studies of spleen, liver, lymph nodes, and bone marrow. Hum Pathol. 1984 Aug;15(8):731–737. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(84)80163-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. DAVIDSON M., KUGLER M. M., BAUER C. H. Diagnosis and management in children with severe and protracted constipation and obstipation. J Pediatr. 1963 Feb;62:261–275. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(63)80404-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fan L. L., Graham L. M. Radiological cases of the month. Lipoid pneumonia from mineral oil aspiration. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1994 Feb;148(2):205–206. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1994.02170020091016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Levine M. D., Bakow H. Children with encopresis: a study of treatment outcome. Pediatrics. 1976 Dec;58(6):845–852. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Loening-Baucke V. Chronic constipation in children. Gastroenterology. 1993 Nov;105(5):1557–1564. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(93)90166-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Loening-Baucke V. Management of chronic constipation in infants and toddlers. Am Fam Physician. 1994 Feb 1;49(2):397-400, 403-6, 411-3. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Loening-Baucke V., Yamada T. Is the afferent pathway from the rectum impaired in children with chronic constipation and encopresis? Gastroenterology. 1995 Aug;109(2):397–403. doi: 10.1016/0016-5085(95)90326-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mazier W. P., Sun K. M., Robertson W. G. Oil-induced granuloma (eleoma) of the rectum: report of four cases. Dis Colon Rectum. 1978 May-Jun;21(4):292–294. doi: 10.1007/BF02586706. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McClung H. J., Boyne L. J., Linsheid T., Heitlinger L. A., Murray R. D., Fyda J., Li B. U. Is combination therapy for encopresis nutritionally safe? Pediatrics. 1993 Mar;91(3):591–594. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nochomovitz L. E., Uys C. J., Epstein S. Massive deposition of mineral oil after prolonged ingestion. S Afr Med J. 1975 Dec 13;49(53):2187–2190. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nolan T., Debelle G., Oberklaid F., Coffey C. Randomised trial of laxatives in treatment of childhood encopresis. Lancet. 1991 Aug 31;338(8766):523–527. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)91097-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rabah R., Evans R. W., Yunis E. J. Mineral oil embolization and lipid pneumonia in an infant treated for Hirschsprung's disease. Pediatr Pathol. 1987;7(4):447–455. doi: 10.3109/15513818709161406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Shoda T., Toyoda K., Uneyama C., Takada K., Takahashi M. Lack of carcinogenicity of medium-viscosity liquid paraffin given in the diet to F344 rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 1997 Dec;35(12):1181–1190. doi: 10.1016/s0278-6915(97)00105-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Siemiatycki J., Dewar R., Nadon L., Gérin M., Richardson L., Wacholder S. Associations between several sites of cancer and twelve petroleum-derived liquids. Results from a case-referent study in Montreal. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1987 Dec;13(6):493–504. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.2008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Smith J. H., Bird M. G., Lewis S. C., Freeman J. J., Hogan G. K., Scala R. A. Subchronic feeding study of four white mineral oils in dogs and rats. Drug Chem Toxicol. 1995 Feb;18(1):83–103. doi: 10.3109/01480549509017859. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sondheimer J. M., Gervaise E. P. Lubricant versus laxative in the treatment of chronic functional constipation of children: a comparative study. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1982;1(2):223–226. doi: 10.1097/00005176-198201020-00012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Staiano A., Andreotti M. R., Greco L., Basile P., Auricchio S. Long-term follow-up of children with chronic idiopathic constipation. Dig Dis Sci. 1994 Mar;39(3):561–564. doi: 10.1007/BF02088343. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Taitz L. S., Wales J. K., Urwin O. M., Molnar D. Factors associated with outcome in management of defecation disorders. Arch Dis Child. 1986 May;61(5):472–477. doi: 10.1136/adc.61.5.472. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Taubman B., Buzby M. Overflow encopresis and stool toileting refusal during toilet training: a prospective study on the effect of therapeutic efficacy. J Pediatr. 1997 Nov;131(5):768–771. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(97)70112-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Tolbert P. E. Oils and cancer. Cancer Causes Control. 1997 May;8(3):386–405. doi: 10.1023/a:1018409422050. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Tolia V., Lin C. H., Elitsur Y. A prospective randomized study with mineral oil and oral lavage solution for treatment of faecal impaction in children. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1993 Oct;7(5):523–529. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.1993.tb00128.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Wanless I. R., Geddie W. R. Mineral oil lipogranulomata in liver and spleen. A study of 465 autopsies. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1985 Mar;109(3):283–286. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Weinstein M. Index of suspicion. Case 3. Lipoid pneumonia. Pediatr Rev. 2000 May;21(5):173, 176-7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Wolfson B. J., Allen J. L., Panitch H. B., Karmazin N. Lipid aspiration pneumonia due to gastroesophageal reflux. A complication of nasogastric lipid feedings. Pediatr Radiol. 1989;19(8):545–547. doi: 10.1007/BF02389570. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. de Araújo Sant'Anna A. M., Calçado A. C. Constipation in school-aged children at public schools in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1999 Aug;29(2):190–193. doi: 10.1097/00005176-199908000-00016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES