Treatment of fecal impaction with pulsed irrigation enhanced evacuation.

PURPOSE

A new method of treating fecal impaction is described, selecting patients that would otherwise have required operative disimpaction.

METHOD

Using the pulsed irrigation enhanced evacuation device, individuals were selected for treatment based on evidence of massive fecal impaction on physical examination or abdominal x-ray.

RESULTS

Fourteen individuals were treated for fecal impaction. The patients ranged in age from 13 to 86 years. Only one patient required intravenous sedation, an elderly patient with Alzheimer's disease. The treatment was successful in each case, although repeated treatment was often necessary. No morbidity arose from the treatment. By the midpoint in our study, because of the success of this treatment, no patient required hospitalization for impaction.

CONCLUSION

Pulsed irrigation enhanced evacuation has been in our experience a simple, quick, and effective treatment for severe fecal impaction.