PMC5317036_01
Fecal retention in the rectum case. An 82-year-old woman with chronic constipation evaluated by ultrasonography (US). (a-d) Long-axis US images show moderate amounts of gas or small feces in the colon, without fecal retention. (e and f) Fecal retention in the rectum is clearly seen as a crescent-shaped acoustic shadow (arrows).
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PMC5317036_01_10.1177_2050313X17694234-fig1.jpg
fig1-2050313X17694234
The US images of the colon showed a moderate amount of gas or small feces but no fecal retention; however, US clearly visualized FR during the observation period (Figure 1).
PMC5317036_02
Not fecal retention in the rectum case. A 46-year-old man with chronic constipation underwent US. (a-d) Long-axis US images show fecal retention from the ascending colon to the sigmoid colon. (c and d) Images of the descending and sigmoid colon clearly show a crescent-shaped acoustic shadow with haustrations and strong high echoes off the wall of the descending colon. (e and f) US images show no evidence of fecal retention in the rectum (arrows).
10.1177_2050313X17694234-fig2.jpg
PMC5317036_02_10.1177_2050313X17694234-fig2.jpg
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US images of the colon showed fecal retention from the ascending colon to the sigmoid colon, but there was no evidence of FR at any time during the observation period (Figure 2), nor was hard stool detected during the rectal examination.