A case of colonic fecal impaction caused by excessive dietary fiber intake that was endoscopically treated with intra-fecal injection of a bowel-cleansing agent
Background and aim: A 75-year-old man who had eaten half a head of chopped raw cabbage (approximately 600 g) daily was suffering from left lower pain, abdominal fullness and constipation. He was diagnosed with colonic ileus and obstructive colitis due to a fecal impaction in the sigmoid-descending junction. During colonoscopy, a tapered catheter was repeatedly inserted into the impacted feces to inject a bowel-cleansing agent. Finally, the feces were broken to be fragmented enough to path the endoscope through. After the procedure, his symptoms were immediately relieved.
Relevance for patients: Excessive dietary fiber intake can induce fecal ileus. Endoscopic treatment with intra-fecal injection of a bowel-cleansing agent is useful and worth attempting for disimpaction of feces.
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