Rectal foreign body

Case contributed by Daniel J Bell
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Perineal pain. Abdominal radiograph performed to evaluate for "?FB in anus".

Patient Data

Age: 35 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Beer bottle in the distal sigmoid colon and rectum. No signs of perforation.

Open laparotomy required to remove. No bowel perforation occurred. 

Case Discussion

Rectal foreign bodies are increasingly common. The commonest route of entry is per rectum, although occasionally a swallowed foreign body will pass unmolested through the entire gastrointestinal tract before becoming stuck in the rectum. Rarely foreign bodies can enter the rectum via migration through the rectal wall from adjacent organs, e.g. IUCDs, migrating from the uterus, have been reported on several occasions.

Extraction of the foreign bodies can be a surgical challenge and often an open procedure is required due to the size of the inserted object, as in this case. Fortunately the rectum is naturally distensible and normal rectal mucus secretions act as lubricants, aiding insertion and decreasing the risk of serious traumatic sequelae.

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