Faecal impaction Health Dictionary

A term applied to a condition in which two things are ?rmly lodged together. For example, when one piece of bone is driven within another following a fracture, this is known as an impacted fracture; when a tooth is ?rmly lodged in its socket so that its eruption is prevented, this is known as dental impaction. Intractable constipation is termed faecal impaction.... impaction

Failure of a tooth to emerge completely from the gum. It may occur because of overcrowding or when a tooth grows in the wrong direction.

Impacted wisdom teeth are common, and, if symptomless, may not need to be removed.

In some cases, however, symptoms necessitate their removal.... impaction, dental

Inability to retain faeces in the rectum until a movement appropriate to expel them. A common cause is faecal impaction, which often results from long-standing constipation. The rectum becomes overfull causing faecal fluid and small pieces of faeces to be passed involuntarily around the impacted mass of faeces. Temporary loss of continence may also occur in severe diarrhoea. Other causes include injury to the anal muscles (as may occur during childbirth), paraplegia, and dementia.

If the underlying cause of faecal impaction is constipation, recurrence may be prevented by a high-fibre diet. Suppositories containing glycerol or laxative drugs may be recommended. Faecal incontinence in people with dementia or a nerve disorder may be avoided by regular use of enemas or suppositories to empty the rectum.... incontinence, faecal

The presence in the faeces of blood that cannot be seen by the naked eye, but can be detected by chemical tests. Such tests are widely used in screening for cancer of the colon (see colon, cancer of). Faecal occult blood may also be a sign of a gastrointestinal disorder such as oesophagitis, gastritis, or stomach cancer; cancer of the intestine (see intestine, cancer of); rectal cancer (see rectum, cancer of); diverticular disease; polyps in the colon; ulcerative colitis; or irritation of the stomach or intestine by drugs such as aspirin. (See also rectal bleeding.)... occult blood, faecal

see calprotectin.... faecal calprotectin

see incontinence.... faecal incontinence

(FOBT) a noninvasive test used to identify microscopic blood (see occult) in faeces. It is widely used as a screening test for colorectal cancer.... faecal occult blood test

see elastase.... faecal pancreatic elastase