Stercoral perforation of the colon. Concepts of operative management

Stercoral perforation of the colon is a direct result of ischemic pressure necrosis by a stercoraceous mass. In over 90 per cent of cases, the perforation will involve either the sigmoid or rectosigmoid colon and is consistently centrally located within a region of mucosal ulceration of varying diameter and magnitude. A review of 33 surgically treated cases from the literature along with four cases presented here, support resection, end colostomy, and either mucous fistula or Hartmann's procedure as the operation of choice with the lowest operative mortality (23%) when compared to those patients treated by either loop colostomy or exteriorization (71%) or proximal colostomy with plication of the perforation (44%). Irrigation of the distal rectal segment as that for penetrating rectal injury is also recommended.