Rectal perforations caused by cleansing enemas in chronically constipated patients: Two case reports

Abstract

Constipation is a common disease that is frequently treated with cleansing enemas. Enemas are considered as effective and in some cases may cause serious adverse events. Iatrogenic perforations due to enemas lead to adverse outcomes in elderly patients with a poor general condition. Perforation remains an infrequent and rarely reported complication. In this work, we describe the cases of two patients with rectal perforation caused by a cleansing enema. The first patient had rectal perforation that led to a para-rectal abscess and the second patient had generalized peritonitis caused by rectal perforation.