Migration of a retained surgical swab into the jejunum in a dog

Abstract

A two-year-old spayed female shih-tzu was referred with a 10-month history of lethargy, chronic diarrhoea and weight loss. On presentation, a partial response to antibiotics was noted. Physical examination revealed an abdominal mass, and serum biochemistry and haematology revealed a mature neutrophilia, hypoalbuminaemia and a non-regenerative anaemia. Contrast radiography and abdominal ultrasound were suggestive of an intraluminal foreign body. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a surgical swab in the lumen of the jejunum that was associated with severe adhesions. Histopathology showed evidence of transmural migration of the swab from the peritoneal cavity to the lumen of the jejunum.

Imaging Diagnosis—computed Tomography Findings in a Dog With Spontaneous Transmural Migration of a Textiloma Into the Cecum

“…In human and veterinary medicine, textilomas are most commonly seen following gynecological surgeries . In our case, the dog developed the clinical signs after ovariohysterectomy.…”

“…Usually the first type of reaction causes mild nonspecific clinical symptoms, while exudative reactions may manifest with a severe clinical course resulting in intestinal perforation, obstruction, fistula formation, or sepsis . The clinical signs presented in animals with retained surgical swabs included a palpable mass, abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, diarrhea, abdominal distension, fever, anorexia, and fistulae formation . In the case described here, the dog showed only bilateral uveitis and moderate abdominal pain on palpation.…”

“…Textiloma (from Latin textile , a woven fabric, plus the suffix oma , meaning swelling or tumor), gossypiboma (from the Latin word gossypium , meaning cotton, and the Swahili word boma , meaning place of concealment), or gauzoma (from surgical gauze) is a mass of cotton matrix retained in a body cavity after a surgical procedure. Forty‐three cases of textilomas have been reported in veterinary literature . Only one case was a transmural migration of a retained surgical swab into the jejunum in a dog .…”

“… Forty‐three cases of textilomas have been reported in veterinary literature . Only one case was a transmural migration of a retained surgical swab into the jejunum in a dog . There are numerous reports of textilomas in human medicine; however migration of a retained sponge is a rare condition.…”

Laparoscopic removal of a large abdominal foreign body granuloma using single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) and extraction bag in a cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

“…In one case report, an abdominal swab migrated transmurally into the jejunum of a dog (Day and others 2012) and literature reports of retained surgical swabs or sponges resulting in abdominal fibrosarcoma exist (Haddad and others 2010; Rayner and others 2010). The ultrasonographic characteristics of textiloma and gossypiboma in dog have been well described (Choi and others 2011).…”