Stercoral perforation in a child: a rare complication of NSAID use

Abstract

SUMMARYThe adverse effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are well known. However, NSAID use rarely leads to a stercoral perforation, an extremely rare but life-threatening cause of acute abdomen. We present a case of stercoral sigmoid colon perforation in a 2-year-old girl, secondary to unintentional NSAID overdose, developing as a result of miscommunication between the general practitioner (GP) and the mother. To the best of our knowledge, stercoral perforation has never before been reported in a child. BACKGROUND

Stercoral Colitis in a Patient with Pediatric Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Case Analysis and Review of Literature

“…The early diagnosis of stercoral colitis is still a dilemma. According to a previous review, fever, peritoneal signs, elevation of in ammatory markers, metabolic acidosis, and electrolyte imbalance are not noted in all cases [16,33]. In addition, urinary retention, incontinence or frequency may mimic the early signs of fecal obstruction [34].…”

“…To date, fewer than 200 cases of stercoral colitis or stercoral perforation have been reported, and only 10 patients (3 males[9-11] and 7 females [12][13][14][15][16][17]) less than 30 years old have been reviewed in the literature based on PubMed. Patients aged 2 to 28 years old are analyzed in Table 1.…”

Stercoral Colitis in a Patient With Pediatric-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Case Analysis and Review of the Literature

“…Early diagnosis of stercoral colitis remains a dilemma. According to a previous review, not all cases involve fever, peritoneal signs, elevation of inflammatory markers, metabolic acidosis, or electrolyte imbalance ( 16 , 29 ). In addition, urinary retention, incontinence or frequency may be early signs of fecal obstruction ( 30 ).…”

“…To date, fewer than 200 cases of stercoral colitis or stercoral perforation have been reported, and only 10 patients [3 males (9-11) and 7 females (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)] younger than 30 years old are reported in PubMed. The analysis of patients aged 2-28 years old is shown in Table 1.…”