title: Delayed presentation of colonic impalement injury by picture frame glass fragment treated using hand-assisted laparoscopic colectomy.
abstract: This is a case of impalement injury with delayed presentation. A 60-year-old man experienced a traumatic injury after a fall on top of a broken picture frame, which caused a small laceration to his left upper abdominal wall. Sixteen months after the injury, he developed a tender left abdominal wall and lower abdominal cramping pain. Colonoscopy identified a shard of glass in the left colon. The glass presumably impaled his abdominal wall as a result of his previous traumatic injury and migrated to the left colon. Laparoscopic surgery was used to safely and efficiently remove the impaled glass shard and affected portion of colon. Such a case has never been reported.
authors.affiliation: Peoria Surgical Group Ltd, Peoria, IL, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Wendy B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: McVay
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods; D003106:Colon / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005898:Glass; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*