A fecalith is a stone made of
feces
Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) 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 ...
. 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 and is sometimes concurrent with
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...
.
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 form secondary to
fecal impaction. A ''
fecaloma'' is a more severe form of fecal impaction, and a hardened fecaloma may be considered a giant fecalith. The term is from the 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 a ...
* Ultrasound
Complications
A small fecalith is one cause of both
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...
and acute
diverticulitis
Diverticulitis, also called colonic diverticulitis, is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches—Diverticulum, diverticula—that can develop in the wall of the large intestine. Symptoms typically include lo ...
.
File:AppendicolithPlainCT.png, Appendicolith as seen on CT
File:AppendicolithPlainXray.png, Appendicolith as seen on plain X ray
See also
*
Bezoar
A bezoar stone ( ) 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 o ...
*
Fecal impaction, including fecaloma
* ''Coprolith'' is also used to mean
geologically fossilized feces.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Diseases of appendix
Feces