TM is a 37-year-old female who had a hysterectomy. The surgery involved a lower abdominal incision and some degree of manipulation of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract in order to remove the uterus and ovaries. For the first 2 days following the surgery, her physician could detect no gastrointestinal sounds when listening to the abdomen with a stethoscope. Initially, the surgeon was not concerned as postoperative ileus, or a loss of tone of the stomach or bowel, is common following surgery.