title: Metallic foreign body in the appendix of 3-year-old boy.
abstract: Foreign body-induced appendicitis is a rare but well-known entity. This condition was discovered during the first appendectomy performed almost 275 years ago. For the pediatric surgeon, evaluation of a patient for swallowed foreign bodies is common, and most foreign bodies traverse the gastrointestinal tract without incident. However, when the foreign body becomes incarcerated in the appendix, a prophylactic appendectomy is recommended to prevent appendicitis. We present the case of an asymptomatic 3-year-old boy with a metallic foreign body lodged in the appendix that was treated with a fluoroscopically assisted laparoscopic appendectomy and discuss treatment of sharp vs blunt foreign bodies of the appendix.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA.
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hartin
authors.forename: Stanley T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Caty
mesh_terms: D001062:Appendectomy; D001065:Appendix / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011092:Polyethylene Glycols