China: Man has 5kg poo removed from megacolon

A Chinese man has been in deep doodoo for the last decade but will now be breathing a big sigh of relief after having a five kilogram stool surgically removed from his colon. The unnamed patient from the Sichuan Province in the southwest, had been admitted to the hospital after complaining of intense stomach pains.

The South China Morning Post reported that the 27-year old had been subject to regular hospital visits for the last 10 years. However, doctors at the Second People's Hospital in Chengdu have only just been able to diagnose his condition following a series of X-rays.

They revealed that his colon had swollen to twice its normal size in a condition known as congenital megacolon. In fact, it had grown so big that it had forced his heart to shift slightly to the right.

A five kilogram (11 pound) stool was the cause of his abnormally large colon which had to be surgically removed.

Congenital megacolon is an ailment that can lead to paralysis of the colon's muscles as well as seeing the large intestine widen. Extreme cases can lead to 'faecal tumours' where hard masses build up until surgery is required.

It's surprising how long the condition took to be diagnosed in the man. However, maybe doctors were reluctant to perform X-rays as they thought the man was just full of sh*t.