Postoperative textilomas: review of 14 cases.
BACKGROUND
Textile materials of surgical origin are found in the abdominal cavity in between 1/1300 and 1/1500 laparotomies, in spite of preventive measures. It is very difficult to ascertain the exact incidence due to the lack of descriptions in the literature.


METHODS
Fourteen cases of postoperative foreign bodies or textilomas are reported. The cases were collected from two hospital centers between 1985 and 1997.


RESULTS
There were 12 intra-abdominal cases, 1 thoracic and 1 paravertebral. In 8 (57.1%) diagnosis was made preoperatively by radiological techniques. The mortality rate was 14.2% with 2 deaths due to multiorganic failure in one case and sepsis in the other. Both patients were over 70, with malignant pathology. The morbidity rate was 21.4%, wall abscesses which evolved favorably being the most frequent cause of complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevention of this complication is the best treatment. It is advisable to use textile material with radiopaque contrast, to count the pieces of material to be used and perform an X-ray before the laparotomy is closed specially in emergency (bleeding and trauma patients) because in these complex cases the possibility of material being left behind is more advisable.
Service of General Surgery, University Hospital of Getafe, Madrid, Spain.
R
R
Fernandez Lobato
F J
FJ
Marin Lucas
J M
JM
Fradejas Lopez
L M
LM
Diaz Gimenez
E
E
Camarero Marina
M
M
Moreno Azcoita
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015745:Granuloma, Foreign-Body / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013784:Textiles; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed