Intrajejunal surgical sponge: A case report

Abstract

A 32 year old female patient who had abdominal myomectomy 5 months previously, presented with the features of intestinal obstruction which, 24 hours later, was complicated by acute enterocutaneous fistula. At laparotomy, a segment of jejunum housing a foreign body - a surgical spone - was resected along with the fistula.
This case highlights the importance of increased awareness by clinicians of the possibility of a foreign-body induced intestinal obstruction especially after a previous abdominal operation. It is advised that Clinicians should not attribute every case of mechanical post-operative intestinal obstruction to adhensions.


Nigerian Journal of Surgical Sciences Vol. 17 (1) 2007: pp. 63-65