What is "impaction"

Impaction \Im*pac"tion\, n. [L. impactio a striking : cf. F. impaction.]

1. (Surg.) The driving of one fragment of bone into another so that the fragments are not movable upon each other; as, impaction of the skull or of the hip.

2. An immovable packing; (Med.), a lodgment of something in a strait or passage of the body; as, impaction of the fetal head in the strait of the pelvis; impaction of food or feces in the intestines of man or beast.

1739, from Latin impactionem (nominative impactio) "a striking against," noun of action from past participle stem of impingere (see impinge).

n. 1 compression; the packing together of loose matter 2 something packed together tightly; a mass of densely-packed matter 3 (context medicine English) a solid, immobile bulk of stool

1. n. the condition of being pressed closely together and firmly fixed

2. a disorder in which feces are impacted in the lower colon

3. a disorder in which a tooth is so crowded in its socket that it cannot erupt normally [syn: impacted tooth]

4. a sharp collision produced by striking or dashing against something [syn: impingement]

Impaction may refer to:

• Impaction (animals), blockage of the digestive tract of animals
• Fecal impaction, the presence of a solid, immobile bulk of human feces that can develop in the rectum
• Dental impaction, the failure of teeth fully to erupt into the mouth because of obstruction from another tooth
• Aerosol impaction

Impaction is bowel obstruction that can occur in various kinds of animals when they consume something that they cannot digest. For example, in reptiles, common causes of impaction are rocks and sand, which might be accidentally consumed when the reptile attacks its prey. In livestock, rough fodder such as straw can risk impaction. Once the substance is ingested it will block the digestive tract and, if untreated, cause death.