EP.TU.184A story of a successful hunt for long-lost needles
Abstract Introduction There are various case reports of intraluminal foreign body following a clear history of ingestion commonly presenting in paediatrics or in patients with a psychiatric background. Case presentation We present a rare cause of unusual foreign bodies evident within the abdomen, radiologically. There was no history of ingestion nor insertion. 70-year-old male has been suffering from chronic abdominal pain, presented to the emergency department with acute lower abdominal pain. He had previous splenectomy with distal pancreatectomy 23 years ago and laparotomy (adhesiolysis) 5 years back. He sought medical opinion on several occasions whereby, based on his intricate surgical history, adhesions were a possible culprit. This admission with acute pain warranted a thorough review of past history and a closer radiological investigation. These showed historical presence of sewing needles for 3 years. Conclusion Foreign body can manifest as acute reactions with inflammatory response, however if not removed can cause scarring and chronic pain as seen in this case. Although evident in radiological images over period of pain recurrence, this was not identified as a cause. We emphasize the need for direct communication between surgical and radiological teams in an unusual case scenario like these, to prevent incidence of symptoms from foreign bodies.