Abstract
Objective The aim of our manuscript is to study the incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of bowel perforation by foreign body ingestion. Summary of Background Data Bowel perforation, by foreign body ingestion, has been believed to be relatively rare, and most commonly caused by fish bones, chicken bones, and toothpicks. Our clinical experience,however, suggests such perforations may be more common than previously thought, and caused by various other objects as well. Methods Medical records of all patients diagnosed with foreign body-induced intestinal perforation, from the Department of General Surgery at Shanghai Tongji Hospital, from January 2000 to June 2015, were retrospectively analyzed. Results Among the 25 total patients, 4 ingested foreign bodies intentionally, while the other 21 cases were accidental.The foreign bodies were identified by plain X-ray film in 2 patients and by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in 11 patients, thus supporting the correct preoperative diagnosis (13 cases, 52%). The most common location of the perforation was the terminal ileum (n = 17).The offending objects were date stones (n=13), bones(n=7), and metallic objects (n=5). The most common treatment was removal ofthe foreign body and closure of the perforation with simple suture(n=22). Ten patients were treated laparoscopically. Conclusion The present study shows that the most common foreign bodies causing intestinal perforation are date stones and bones. Although about 50 percent of the foreign bodies could be identified by MDCT, definite diagnosis remained preoperatively difficult. Laparoscopy may be the optimal choice for diagnosis and treatment of bowel perforation by foreign bodies.
Ingestion of a foreign body unmasks an asymptomatic small bowel carcinoid tumor
