Korean J Gastrointest Endosc.  2007 Jul;35(1):46-50.

Two Cases of Gastrointestinal Perforation by Foreign Bodies

• Park HC
• Park CH
• Cho SB
• Joo SY
• Park SY
• Cho S
• Lee SH
• Yoon KW
• Lee WS
• Kim HS
• Choi SK
• Rew JS

Abstract

About 80~90% of ingested foreign bodies usually pass through the gastrointestinal tract spontaneously without any specific symptoms or gastrointestinal injury. Most of the foreign bodies in the stomach are passed along by gastrointestinal movement, and they are usually evacuated once they pass over the pylorus, Treitz ligament, the ileocecal valve and the rectosigmoid junction. Yet those foreign bodies that are sharp and/or pointed have a high risk of perforation, bleeding and abscess formation. We report here on two cases of a nail in the stomach and toothpicks in the sigmoid colon, and both cases were complicated by perforation. Both patients didn't know that they swallowed the foreign bodies. These patients were treated by surgery and antibiotics. As seen in our cases, we should keep in mind that a sharp, pointed foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract could induce severe complications such as perforation or abscess formation.

Keyword

Foreign body; Perforation

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Colon, Sigmoid
Foreign Bodies*
Gastrointestinal Tract
Hemorrhage
Humans
Ileocecal Valve
Ligaments
Pylorus
Stomach
Anti-Bacterial Agents