A case of giant fecaloma in a 24-year-old woman

Chronic constipation is a very common complaint at outpatient clinics. It can progress to fecal impaction, and rarely to fecalomas if not managed promptly. Fecaloma is characterized by a hardened large mass of feces frequently localized in sigmoid colon and rectum and is difficult to discharge. Fecaliths, stagnating and hardening by time, may cause intestinal obstruction,ulcer development and colonic wall perforation. We present the case of a 24-year-old woman who admitted to our hospital with complaints of severe constipation with 1 bowel movement every third-fifth day with passage of hard stools only with using laxatives and meteorism. This is a rare case of fecalomas and megacolon, when conservative measures were absolutely ineffective and surgical treatment was needed. Therefore, diagnosis of fecaloma must be considered in patients presenting with chronic constipation and abdominal mass.Further investigations are mandatory to delineate guidelines for clinical management of megacolon especially in women of childbearing age.