Open AccessSwallowing a safety pin: Report of a case
Author(s) -
Emmanuel Benizri
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
world journal of gastrointestinal surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1948-9366
DOI - 10.4240/wjgs.v4.i1.20
Subject(s) - medicine , foreign body , swallowing , surgery , foreign body ingestion , colonoscopy , abdominal pain , appendix , general surgery , appendicitis , pathological , alimentary tract , paleontology , colorectal cancer , pathology , cancer , biology
Ingestion of a foreign body is a frequent and well-known medical problem with several diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Usually, ingested foreign bodies pass through the alimentary tract without incident. In some cases, they can be lodged in the appendix and may cause appendicitis. We report a case of a 29-year old woman, suffering from mental illness, with a safety pin lodged in the appendix. Initially, the patient consulted for abdominal pain. After a period of waiting, during which time the foreign body did not move, a colonoscopy was performed but failed to see the safety pin. Then, the patient underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy. Pathological examination showed an ulcerative appendicitis.