Stercoral perforation of the colon: A mortal consequence of chronic constipation in the elderly (a case report)

Abstract

The stercoral perforation is a mortal condition. It affects elderly patients who have a long history of chronic and severe constipation as well as constitutes a surgical emergency whose prognosis, often grim, depends on the early diagnosis and treatment. We report the case of a stercoral colon perforation which occurred in an 89-year-old patient. The clinical symptomatology was that of an acute peritonitis evolving for four days. The diagnosis was only made intraoperatively and the surgical gesture was a resection of the involved left colon segment and Bouilly Volkmann colostomy. The consequences were unfortunately marked by a resistant septic shock resulting in the death of the patient on the 1st postoperative day. The diagnosis of stercoral colon perforation, which is often difficult and delayed, must be known by all physicians who manage an increasingly older patient population.