Stercoral perforation explained

Stercoral perforation^[1] is the perforation or rupture of the intestine's walls by its internal contents, such as hardened feces or foreign objects. Hardened stools may form in prolonged constipation or other diseases which cause obstruction of transit, such as Chagas disease, Hirschprung's disease, toxic colitis, hypercalcemia, and megacolon.^[2]

Symptoms can include abdominal distension, pain, and nausea.^[2]

Stercoral perforation is a rare and very dangerous, life-threatening situation, as well as a surgical emergency, because the spillage of contaminated intestinal contents into the abdominal cavity leads to peritonitis, a rapid bacteremia (bacterial infection of the blood), with many complications.^[3]

See also

• Gastrointestinal perforation
• Stercoral ulcer, which can lead to stercoral perforation

Notes and References

1. Huang . Wen-Shih . Wang . Chia-Siu . Hsieh . Ching-Chuan . Lin . Paul Y . Chin . Chih-Chien . Wang . Jeng-Yi . 2006-01-21 . Management of patients with stercoral perforation of the sigmoid colon: Report of five cases . World Journal of Gastroenterology . 12 . 3 . 500–503 . 10.3748/wjg.v12.i3.500 . 1007-9327 . 4066079 . 16489660 . free .
2. Book: Core Topics in General and Emergency Surgery . 2019 . Elsevier . 216–233 . 6.
3. Xu . Xin . Dong . Hai-Chang . Yao . Zheng . Zhao . Yun-Zhao . 2020-02-26 . Risk factors for postoperative sepsis in patients with gastrointestinal perforation . World Journal of Clinical Cases . 8 . 4 . 670–678 . 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i4.670 . 2307-8960 . 7052561 . 32149051 . free .