INTRODUCTIONIntestinal perforation due to a foreign body (FB) is a rare cause of acute abdomen, however, it represent a diagnostic possibility that the physician must not forget.
CASE REPORTA 35-year-old man with a medical history of schizophrenia was presented at the hospital because of abdominal pain and fever. There were evidence of localized peritoneal irritation by exam. His laboratory tests on admission revealed an elevated white blood cell count of 24.700 mm 3 and neutrophilia (88.1%). An abdominal CT scan showed four foreign bodies ( Fig. 1), one of them producing a sigmoid colon perforation with pneumoperitoneum. The patient was taken urgently to the operating room for surgery. A FB was found penetrating sigmoid colon (Fig. 2) without intra-abdominal contamination. A primary suture was performed and the patient was discharged to home without any complications. Vol. 104. N.° 2, pp. 90-91, 2012 Fig. 1. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the abdominal scan showing the presence of four foreign bodies (two batteries and two needles). The lower needle was the responsible for the patient's clinical picture.
Sigmoid colon perforation due to a foreign body ingestion
PICTURES IN DIGESTIVE PATHOLOGY
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