Intravesical Migration of an Intrauterine Contraceptive Device with Secondary Calculus Formation

Abstract

Intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs) are a common form of reversible contraception owing to fewer systemic side effects and low cost, especially in a developing country like India. However, IUCDs are not without complications. Migration of a device into adjacent organs is the most morbid of all the documented complications. A patient who presents with a history that suggests loss or disappearance of an IUCD thread associated with urinary symptoms should raise suspicions that a device may have migrated into the bladder. Physicians should also be aware of possible secondary vesical calculus formation. Further radiological investigations and appropriate management are warranted. We present a case report describing the migration of an IUCD into the bladder with secondary calculus formation.

Keywords: Calculus; Intrauterine Devices; Urinary Bladder.

Figure 1. Kidney, ureter, and bladder radiography showing a thin, elongated, calculus-like foreign body.

Figure 2. (A, B) Kidney, ureter, and bladder ultrasonography showing well distended and thin-walled urinary bladder with a T-shaped echogenic focus and a curvilinear tail noted lying with the bladder suggestive of an intrauterine contraceptive device-Copper T device.

Figure 3. (A, B) Computed tomographic scan showing a distended urinary bladder with evidence of a Copper T noted in the urinary bladder with its thread encrusted.