title: Transmural migration of a surgical compress into the stomach after splenectomy: a case report.
abstract: A surgical compress retained in the abdominal cavity following surgery is a serious problem. Here, we describe a 33-year-old female who was admitted with abdominal pain, vomiting, no passage of gas or feces, and abdominal distension for 3 days. She had a splenectomy at another medical center 4 years previously. An upright plain abdominal film revealed small bowel obstruction with marked small bowel air-fluid levels. The physical examination revealed muscular guarding and rebound tenderness in the periumbilical region. Therefore, a laparotomy was performed. A surgical compress was removed at enterotomy and the final diagnosis was gossypiboma. Because a retained surgical compress may lead to medicolegal problems, it is important to count the material used before and after a surgical procedure to reduce the risk of this problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Diyarbakir Education and Research Hospital, Op. Dr. Seref Inaloz Caddesi 21400, Diyarbakir, Turkey. akbulutsami@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akbulut
authors.forename: Mert Mahsuni
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sevinc
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Basak
authors.forename: Sefika
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: Bahri
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cakabay