Stercoral perforation of the colon: a mortal consequence of chronic constipation in the elderly (a case report)

The stercoral perforation is a mortal condition. It affects elderly patients who have a long history of chronic and severe constipation as well as constitutes a surgical emergency whose prognosis, often grim, depends on the early diagnosis and treatment. We report the case of a stercoral colon perforation which occurred in an 89-year-old patient. The clinical symptomatology was that of an acute peritonitis evolving for four days. The diagnosis was only made intraoperatively and the surgical gesture was a resection of the involved left colon segment and Bouilly Volkmann colostomy. The consequences were unfortunately marked by a resistant septic shock resulting in the death of the patient on the 1^st postoperative day. The diagnosis of stercoral colon perforation, which is often difficult and delayed, must be known by all physicians who manage an increasingly older patient population.