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Case Reports
. 2012 Jan-Feb;32(1):93-6.
doi: 10.5144/0256-4947.2012.93.

Multiple magnet ingestion: is there a role for early surgical intervention?

Amrollah Salimi  1 , Soheil Kooraki, Shadi Abdar Esfahani, Mehrzad Mehdizadeh
Affiliations
Case Reports

Multiple magnet ingestion: is there a role for early surgical intervention?

Amrollah Salimi et al. Ann Saudi Med. 2012 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Children often swallow foreign bodies. Multiple magnet ingestion is rare, but can result in serious complications. This study presents three unique cases of multiple magnet ingestion: one case an 8-year-old boy with multiple magnet ingestion resulting in gastric obstruction and the other two cases with intestinal perforations due to multiple magnet intake. History and physical examination are unreliable in children who swallow multiple magnets. Sometimes radiological findings are not conclusive, whether one magnet is swallowed or more. If magnets are not moved in sequential radiology images, we recommend early surgical intervention before gastrointestinal complications develop. Toy companies, parents, physicians, and radiologists should be warned about the potential complications of such toys.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A plain abdominal radiograph shows several bar-shaped and sphere-shaped magnets attached to each other. Together they mimic the shape of the stomach. One solitary magnet is seen far away in the intestine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The same patient (Figure 1); multiple bar toys, ball bearings and tiny magnets were removed.
Figure 3
Figure 3
An intraoperative image indicates intestinal perforations caused by pressure necrosis of attached magnets.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A plain abdominal radiograph shows two magnets attracted each other in the intestinal loops that provided a unique view.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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