Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Syncope is a common presentation in the emergency department (ED); however, it is rarely due to stercoral proctocolitis causing inferior vena cava (IVC) compression. We describe the case of a young male patient who presented to the ED after having a syncopal episode. Through obtaining a detailed history and physical exam, he was found to have abdominal distention and endorsed constipation. He was diagnosed with severe fecal impaction causing stercoral proctocolitis and IVC compression causing intermittent syncope. He underwent an emergent exam under anesthesia and fecal disimpaction in the operating room. This case emphasizes the importance of doing a thorough physical exam to avoid missing a complication of this rare diagnosis.
Source: Cureus
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.72802
Authors: Anupa Ghimire, Sherell Hicks
Institutions: University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4403991355