title: Hegar uterine dilator as an unusual cause of small bowel obstruction: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The unusual event of surgical instrument retention in the abdominal cavity usually occurs after laparotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 45-year-old African woman from Cameroon with no previous abdominal surgery presented with a three-day history of colicky abdominal pain. Abdominal X-ray showed an opaque, linear object in the lower abdomen. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a Hegar uterine dilator that was lost during a dilatation and curettage performed seven years prior to the present admission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The trans-uterine route should be included as a rare and unusual source of surgical instruments retained in the abdomen.
authors.affiliation: Banso Baptist Hospital, Box 9, Kumbo, NWP, Cameroon. okorieco@mail.ru.
authors.forename: Chukwudi O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Okorie