A fecalith is a stone made of
feces
Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...
. It is a hardening of feces into lumps of varying size and may occur anywhere in the intestinal tract but is typically found in the
colon. It is also called appendicolith when it occurs in the
appendix
Appendix, or its plural form appendices, may refer to:
__NOTOC__ In documents
* Addendum, an addition made to a document by its author after its initial printing or publication
* Bibliography, a systematic list of books and other works
* Index (pub ...
and is sometimes concomitant with
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
.
They can also obstruct
diverticula
In medicine or biology, a diverticulum is an outpouching of a hollow (or a fluid-filled) structure in the body. Depending upon which layers of the structure are involved, diverticula are described as being either true or false.
In medicine, t ...
. It can possibly form secondary to
fecal impaction
A fecal impaction is a solid, immobile bulk of feces that can develop in the rectum as a result of chronic constipation.
A related term is fecal loading which refers to a large volume of stool in the rectum of any consistency. Fecal impaction i ...
. A ''
fecaloma
A fecal impaction is a solid, immobile bulk of feces that can develop in the rectum as a result of chronic constipation.
A related term is fecal loading which refers to a large volume of stool in the rectum of any consistency. Fecal impaction is ...
'' is a more severe form of fecal impaction, and a hardened fecaloma may be considered to be a giant fecalith. The term is from Greek
líthos=stone.
Diagnosis
* CT Scan
*
Projectional radiography
Projectional radiography, also known as conventional radiography, is a form of radiography and medical imaging that produces two-dimensional images by x-ray radiation. The image acquisition is generally performed by radiographers, and the images ...
* Ultrasound
Complications
A small fecalith is one cause of both
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
and acute
diverticulitis
Diverticulitis, specifically colonic diverticulitis, is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches—diverticula—which can develop in the wall of the large intestine. Symptoms typically include lower abdominal ...
.
File:AppendicolithPlainCT.png, Appendicolith as seen on CT
File:AppendicolithPlainXray.png, Appendicolith as seen on plain X ray
See also
*
Bezoar
A bezoar is a mass often found trapped in the gastrointestinal system, though it can occur in other locations. A pseudobezoar is an indigestible object introduced intentionally into the digestive system.
There are several varieties of bezoar, s ...
*
Fecal impaction
A fecal impaction is a solid, immobile bulk of feces that can develop in the rectum as a result of chronic constipation.
A related term is fecal loading which refers to a large volume of stool in the rectum of any consistency. Fecal impaction i ...
, including fecaloma
* ''Coprolith'' is also used to mean
geologically fossilized feces.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Digestive system diseases
Diseases of appendix
Feces