Use of endoscopic snare to extract a large rectosigmoid foreign body with review of literature

Abstract

Rectal foreign bodies are common and various shapes and sizes have been described in literature. Large objects impacted high in the rectosigmoid junction pose a challenge for endoscopic extraction. We describe a method that successfully removed a 15x6x3.5-cm shampoo bottle impacted in the rectosigmoid junction. A 50-year-old man had passed a shampoo bottle up into his rectum. Examination revealed a lax sphincter but the bottle could not be felt. Contrast x-rays showed a well-delineated bottle in the rectosigmoid junction with no evidence of bowel perforation. A flexible sigmoidoscope with an endoscopic snare was used to "lasso" the foreign body and deliver it out. A check sigmoidoscopy after extraction showed no bleeding or perforation. This technique is a safer and less morbid method of extracting impacted high rectal foreign bodies, in the absence of perforation. It should be attempted before open surgical removal.