A young man just 23 years old arrived at the hospital after he began experiencing abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. He had a history of severe constipation, but this time his body was facing a much more serious complication.
The doctors decided to perform a CT scan, and the images revealed what was happening inside him: his colon was significantly distended due to a large buildup of fecal matter.
The examination also showed thickening of the intestinal wall and inflammation around the rectum.
The diagnosis was stercoral colitis, a dangerous complication associated with prolonged constipation. The buildup of hardened stool can exert intense pressure on the walls of the colon, causing inflammation and injuries that, in severe cases, can have serious consequences.
The patient also had autism spectrum disorder, a condition noted by the doctors along with his history of severe constipation.
To relieve the obstruction, the medical team performed disimpaction using flexible sigmoidoscopy, successfully removing the accumulated contents.
Later, anorectal manometry showed that the young man had difficulty coordinating the muscles needed to pass stool. He therefore began treatment with pelvic floor physical therapy.
The case was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, and its images provide a striking illustration of something that is often considered a minor inconvenience:
severe and prolonged constipation can end up causing a genuine medical emergency.