'Ball valve' small bowel obstruction caused by a large caecal faecolith.

ABSTRACT

Small bowel obstruction is a common surgical presentation, but intestinal faecoliths are rarely reported as a cause. A 75-year-old woman presented with small bowel obstruction from a large faecolith lodged in the caecum. This required removal at laparoscopy-assisted surgery. This case highlights the need to deal promptly with symptomatic intestinal faecoliths as they are unlikely to pass spontaneously and are prone to cause acute obstruction.