Like a Rolling Stone: Year-Over-Year Growth of a Rectal Fecalith

Abstract

The inability to pass stool for a prolonged period can lead to the formation of fecaliths, which occurs most often in the colon or rectum. Although large fecaliths can lead to serious or life-threatening complications, the detailed process of their formation is unknown. This report describes a 65-year-old woman who presented with melena due to ischemic proctitis caused by a large fecalith. On computed tomography, the fecalith showed a unique multilayered calcification sign. We successfully dismantled and removed the fecalith transanally, assisted by a traction method using a balloon catheter. A review of imaging studies from 6 years ago revealed the growth of the fecalith over the previous year and provided an insight into the mechanism underlying the development of large fecaliths.

Keywords: Constipation; Fecal impaction; Fecalith; Gastrointestinal bleeding; Ischemic proctitis; Rectal ischemia.