Feces

This article explains the medical issue. A description of the fossilized feces can be found under coprolite .

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Classification according to ICD-10
K56.4	Other obturation of the intestine
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

Fecal stones , also called coprolite , fekalom , faecalith or enterolite , are stone-like structures, the core of which consists, for example, of solidly thickened feces , around which layers of mucus and dried intestinal contents may have deposited. Fecal stones tend to be deposited in blind-ended sections of the intestine. You can find fecal stones in diverticula of the colon (large intestine), in the caecum (appendix) and in the appendix vermiformis ( appendix ) as well as in the ampulla recti ( rectum ).

The complications of fecal stones include ileus (intestinal obstruction) and its consequences, as well as intestinal perforations with consecutive peritonitis or fecal abscesses .

In the Anglo-American literature, fecal stones are referred to as coprolith or enterolith .

Diagnosis

Fecal stones are often only recognized during an operation or during a dissection . Fecal stones in the rectum can possibly be felt with the finger. They can be seen in endoscopy when they are in the examined intestinal lumen. They can sometimes be seen on ultrasound as bright, shadowy spots in the appendix or in diverticula. However, the ultrasound cannot differentiate between feces and air.

therapy

Fecal stones that have caused ileus or a ruptured bowel in appendicitis or diverticulitis are surgically removed. Faecal stones in the rectum can sometimes be cleared out manually or dissolved by repeated enemas .

Web links

• Ultrasound image of a (supposed) fecal stone of the appendix
• Deutsche Apotheker-Zeitung: stones in the body

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !