In the Department of Anal and Intestinal Surgery, there are often elderly people who are assisted by their family members to come to the hospital for consultation. The patients are in great pain, and upon questioning, it is learned that usually the elderly people have not been able to relieve themselves from the bowels for several days or even weeks. Patients are often irritable and distressed. Upon examination, a huge fecal mass was palpable in the rectum, and the patient was diagnosed with “fecal impaction”, which usually requires the doctor to take “manual fecal extraction” to relieve the problem. “Fecal impaction” is a common emergency in anorectal surgery, i.e., a large number of hard fecal matter accumulated in the rectum, which can not be discharged on its own. The patient will have difficulty in defecation, perianal and abdominal pain, irritability, cold sweat, individual patients will also appear dizziness or even fainting and other symptoms. Causes of “fecal impaction” 1, defecation power is insufficient: common in the old and weak, long-term bed-ridden elderly. As the motor function of the rectum decreases and the rectal contraction is weak, coupled with the reduction of movement, often unable to defecate. Maternity sometimes also appear “fecal impaction”, mainly due to reduced activity, abdominal muscle relaxation, coupled with reduced intake of crude fiber caused by feces stay too long. 2.Pharmacological fecal impaction: due to frequent and unreasonable use of laxatives, the sensitivity of rectal mucosal pressure receptors is reduced or even lost, so when the rectum is filled with feces, it can’t cause defecation reflexes, thus triggering fecal impaction. 3.Fear of pain delay defecation: rectal, perianal diseases before and after surgery, such as anal fissure, perianal abscess, and perianal surgery after incision pain so that the patient is afraid of defecation, so that the feces in the rectum accumulates for too long, causing fecal impaction. 4.Neglect defecation stimulation: work hard or business trip, travel, often neglect or inconvenience timely defecation, thus occurring fecal impaction. 5, mental factors: various reasons lead to excessive mental tension, due to sympathetic excitation, the colorectum is often in a state of spasm, not normal peristalsis, resulting in fecal impaction. “Prevention and treatment of fecal impaction 1. The main way to prevent fecal impaction is to develop the habit of regular bowel movement, not to hold back the bowel movement for a long time, and to exercise more, drink more water, eat more vegetables and fruits, and not to eat too fine a diet. 2, under the guidance of the doctor, the reasonable application of laxatives, if necessary, Chinese medicine to regulate constipation. 3, for long-term bed-ridden elderly, should pay extra attention, if necessary, can be used regularly to help defecation, such as the patient is still difficult to defecate, it is necessary to go to the hospital warm water enema, if still can not be relieved by the doctor wearing gloves to dig out the stool with fingers. 4. Mothers should be encouraged to have appropriate activities, drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet.