Perforation of the transverse colon by a fish bone: a case report

Abstract

The inadvertent swallowing of foreign bodies is common, but rarely results in perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. Because any site of the gastrointestinal tract may be perforated by a foreign body, the clinical presentation may vary and mimic diverse medical conditions. We report the case of a 60-year-old man who experienced left upper quadrant pain of 4 weeks duration before the onset of peritoneal signs. The symptoms were shown to result from perforation of the transverse colon by a fish bone (35 mm in length) with a developing abscess.