[Intestinal perforation due to accidental ingestion of foreign bodies]

Abstract

Usually the ingested foreign bodies (IFB) pass the gastrointestinal tract making no lesions. Sometimes IFB could lead to a gastrointestinal perforation. The most frequently perforating IFB are chicken or fish bones and toothpicks, while risks factors are mental retardation, alcohol or drug abuse, denture usage, quick eating or habitual chewing of toothpicks. The accidentally ingestion in a high risk patient with unclear symptoms, added to a low sensitive diagnostic imaging, lead to intraoperative diagnosis in one half cases of gastrointestinal perforation by IFB. Furthermore the surgical treatment range between the less minimal invasive laparoscopic IFB extraction and intraabdominal hole suture to a laparotomic bowel or colic resection. Herein we describe our experience in 3 cases of gastrointestinal perforation by IFB have been diagnosed at surgery and treated by IFB extraction and hole suture (in 2 patients; 1 laparoscopy, 1 laparotomy) or open right emicolectomy (1 patient).