[Acute mechanical intestinal obstruction after ingestion of foreign bodies: a case report]

Abstract

Foreign body ingestion is usually encountered in mentally retarded patients and is a common situation in patients with psychiatric illnesses, but it rarely necessitates surgical intervention. The outcome is usually defecation of the ingested materials. The treatment modality is affected by the number, size and shape of the ingested material(s). One day before presenting to our emergency room, a 21-year-old man ingested nearly 60 stones, the largest of which was 45 mm in diameter. We hospitalized the patient for conservative follow-up in our clinic. The patient was operated because of acute mechanical obstruction of the small intestine after three days of conservative follow-up. Thirty-five stones in the cecum and sigmoid colon were removed by transverse colotomy and 15 stones in the stomach were removed by gastrotomy. Because of this case, treatment modality alternatives in foreign body ingestion and the literature data are reviewed.