Have You Ever Suspected Stercoral Perforation?: A Case Report

Abstract

Diagnosis and management of abdominal pain in old age is considered a challenge to emergency physicians. Stercoral perforation is an infrequent event, which most commonly develops in old age. We report on a case of stercoral perforation in an elderly woman, which, to the best of our knowledge, is one of a few reported cases in the medical literature. A 74-year-old woman who presented at our emergency department complaining of lower abdominal pain was found to have a perforation of the colon. Examination revealed a stercoral perforation by fecaloma. She underwent Hartman’s operation and colostomy. Stercoral perforation is rare; however, emergency physicians should consider this disease entity in elderly patients with abdominal pain.