Headlines we never thought we'd write number... oh, we've lost track at this point...
A 33-year-old man had been suffering from some fairly peculiar medical issues for the past couple of years and after experiencing pain in his testicles, decided it was time to go to the doctors.
What brought around this cause for concern was that he had been finding both faecal matter in his urine (a condition called '
fecaluria') and a "substantial amount" of urine and semen coming from his anus.
We'll never moan about a bad back again.
As covered in this
Cureus case - a crowd-sourced and peer-reviewed medical journal - initial tests showed that he had a urinary tract infection (UTI) as well as a problem with his rectal wall.
He was then sent for a CT scan which showed that he had a "gas-filled structure" in his prostate, which further tests revealed to be something called a '
fistula': an abnormal passageway that bridge two parts of the body that should not connect - this one occurring between the man's urethra and rectum.
[caption id="attachment_290169" align="alignnone" width="986"]
Credit: Cureus - CT scan showing gas-filled structure in prostrate[/caption]
The connecting tissue allows for the passage of semen to pass through the rectum and after having tried to ascertain whether any particular trauma or surgery could have caused this, it was revealed that the unfortunate fellow had actually been in a three-week coma following cocaine and phencyclidine (PCP) intoxication just before his symptoms started.
Moreover, a
Foley catheter - used for people struggling with urinary/bladder issues (i.e. a UTI) - was inserted into the then patient and it is this tube that doctors believed was the root cause of the injury.
[caption id="attachment_290171" align="alignnone" width="986"]
Credit: Cureus - CT scan showing fistula connecting rectum and urethra[/caption]
He ultimately underwent a procedure called a 'joint colorectal and urologic surgical fistula repair'. Oof. Essentially, all you need to know is that he's now fine and his uncomfortable condition treated.
So next time you have a particularly tricky bowel movement, remember this poor guy and consider yourself lucky.
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