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Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation via Colonoscopy for Recurrent C. difficile Infection

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation via Colonoscopy for Recurrent C. difficile Infection

Published on: December 8, 2014

Fecaloma presenting as huge abdominal mass.

Mushtaq A Khan¹, Hilal A Dar¹, Altaf H Shah¹

¹Department of Gastroenterology Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Kashmir India.

JGH Open : an Open Access Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

|April 14, 2020

Summary

Fecal impaction, though common in certain patient groups, rarely causes intestinal obstruction. This case highlights a severe sigmoid fecalith leading to bilateral hydronephrosis, requiring surgical intervention.

Keywords:

clinical gastroenterology in the elderly clinical intestinal disorders colonic motility and disorders intestinal ischemia

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Area of Science:

Gastroenterology
Geriatrics
Radiology

Background:

Fecal impaction is a frequent complication in elderly, bedridden patients, particularly those with schizoaffective disorder on antipsychotic medications.
Distal colonic fecaliths typically present with symptoms amenable to conservative management, such as digital manual evacuation and enemas.

Observation:

A patient presented with significant abdominal distention and a reported history of no bowel evacuation for three months.
Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a large fecalith within the sigmoid colon.

Findings:

The large sigmoid fecalith was causing bilateral hydronephrosis, indicating severe urinary tract obstruction.
The patient underwent a laparotomy, resulting in sigmoid colon resection and the creation of an end colostomy.

Implications:

This case underscores the potential for fecaliths to cause rare but severe complications like bilateral hydronephrosis.
It highlights the importance of considering surgical intervention in refractory or complicated cases of fecal impaction, even in high-risk patient populations.