Man had surgery to remove 20kg bowel mass after not defecating for 4 months

A special case has just been recorded in Nanjing city (China), which has surprised the public. A 40-year-old man, surnamed Phuong, has not defecated for 4 months.

His abdomen was abnormally distended like that of a 10-month pregnant woman. When he was taken to the emergency room, doctors were forced to perform emergency surgery and remove a severely dilated intestine weighing more than 20kg from the patient's body.

The disease is common in infants but develops silently in adults.

According to the Yangtze Evening News , Mr. Phuong was diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease - a rare disorder that occurs when part of the large intestine lacks the nerve cells needed to produce bowel movements.

At that time, waste cannot move normally but stagnates, leading to the phenomenon of "megacolon".

The disease is usually detected in newborns, but in rare cases, it can silently progress into adulthood without obvious symptoms.

Mr. Phuong had to live in a state of pain and fatigue for many months, unable to digest solid food, he only maintained his life with water and thin soup. His weight dropped to more than 60kg.

The bowel was dilated as large as a python.

The patient's diseased intestine weighs 20kg (Photo: Tin Ziniu).

The surgery was performed by a team of experienced doctors. When opening the abdomen, doctors discovered a severely dilated large intestine, with a diameter nearly equal to an adult's thigh. The damaged intestine was about 2-3 meters long and weighed more than 20kg.

"The scene was truly horrifying, it took two people to lift the intestine out of the patient's body," said a doctor involved in the surgery.

After several hours of surgery, Mr. Phuong said he felt "relieved" both physically and mentally. His health is now stable and he is in the active recovery phase.

Chronic constipation should not be taken lightly.

According to experts, Hirschsprung's disease in adults is extremely rare and easily overlooked because the symptoms are similar to common digestive disorders such as constipation, bloating, indigestion, etc. Therefore, early diagnosis is often difficult.

"When the disease progresses to the stage where the intestines completely lose function, medical treatment is no longer effective. Surgery is the only solution to save the patient's life," said a hospital representative.

Statistics from international medical documents show that Hirschsprung appears in about 1/5,000 newborns, however cases detected in adults account for less than 1%, and most are detected when serious complications have occurred.

Listen to unusual signals from the body

Mr. Phuong's case is a strong warning bell that signs of prolonged digestive disorders should not be ignored.

Chronic constipation is not only uncomfortable and affects quality of life, but can also be a manifestation of serious diseases such as intestinal obstruction, gastrointestinal tumors, or congenital malformations.

Experts recommend that people should see a gastroenterologist if they experience symptoms such as:

- Constipation lasting 2 weeks or more.

- Abdominal pain of unknown cause.

- Bloating, indigestion, unusual weight loss.

At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a diet rich in fiber, drink enough water, exercise regularly and should not abuse laxatives without a doctor's prescription.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/khong-dai-tien-4-thang-nguoi-dan-ong-duoc-mo-lay-khoi-ruot-nang-20kg-20250523084407478.htm