title: Anal pain secondary to swallowed bone.
abstract: SummarySwallowed foreign bodies can be a source of morbidity or rarely mortality since they can impact in the pharynx and the oesophagus and cause discomfort or even perforate to cause mediastinitis. Most (80% to 90%)1 foreign bodies including swallowed bone pass into the stomach, proceed through the intestines and are passed in stool without problems. Swallowed bone has been documented to cause intestinal perforation2, enterovesical fistula3 and perianal abscesses4. Two cases of swallowed bones, which passed through the alimentary tract to finally cause anal pain and anal fistula, are presented. Doctors should be aware of the possibility of sharp objects being the cause of anal pain and must therefore be careful when performing digital rectal examinations to prevent injuries from these foreign objects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Ghana Medical School, P.O. Box 4236, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Aduful