Open AccessSmall-bowel perforation caused by fish bone
Author(s) -
ShengDer Hsu,
DeChuan Chan,
Yao–Chi Liu
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v11.i12.1884
Subject(s) - medicine , fish bone , iliac fossa , ascending colon , surgery , perforation , abdomen , appendicitis , diverticulitis , acute abdomen , foreign body , segmental resection , abdominal pain , ileum , erythema , resection , fish <actinopterygii> , materials science , fishery , metallurgy , punching , biology
A diagnosis of small-bowel perforation, caused by a sharp or pointed foreign body, is rarely made preoperatively because the clinical symptoms are usually nonspecific and can mimic other surgical conditions, such as appendicitis and diverticulitis. We report the case of a 62-year-old woman who experienced severe pain in the right iliac fossa and fever for about five days before arrival at our hospital. The presumptive diagnosis was acute purulent appendicitis and an emergency appendectomy was planned. Swelling and erythema were noted in a segment of the small bowel in the lower right abdomen. A tiny pointed object was found penetrating the inflamed portion of the bowel, which proved to be a sharp fish bone (gray snapper). The bone was removed, followed by segmental resection of the terminal ileum and ascending colon. The postoperative course was uneventful.