title: Stercoral perforation of the colon during pregnancy.
abstract: A 39-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital for severe abdominal pain at 22 weeks and 2 days of gestation. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) suggested perforation of the gastrointestinal tract and emergency surgery was conducted. There was a fibrous adhesion between an enlarged uterus and the sigmoid colon. There was a 5.0-cm perforation near the adhesion in the posterior wall of the sigmoid colon. We performed a partial resection of the sigmoid colon and Hartmann's procedure with copious intraperitoneal lavage. Five hours following the laparotomy, uterine contractions could not be controlled and the patient delivered vaginally. The neonate died almost immediately after delivery. We conclude that although stercoral bowel perforation is rare, poor prognosis after perforation emphasizes the need to carry out a CT scan for patients who present with undiagnosed severe abdominal pain and compatible medical history, even if the patient is pregnant.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Tomoko
authors: T
authors: Matsushita
authors: Yasuo
authors: Y
authors: Yumoto
authors: Kotaro
authors: K
authors: Fukushima
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Hojo
authors: Yoshihiro
authors: Y
authors: Ohishi
authors: Shigetaka
authors: S
authors: Inoue
authors: Norio
authors: N
authors: Wake