title: Abdominal foreign body: late presentation as a rectus sheath abscess.
abstract: Intra-abdominal ingested foreign bodies are usually an incidental finding, typically encountered in mentally challenged patients. We present the case of a 65-year-old mentally sound woman who presented with recurrent abdominal pain and a lump in the hypogastrium. Evaluation revealed a rectus sheath abscess extending to the peritoneum, with a foreign body in situ. On enquiry, the patient revealed that she had accidentally ingested a tailoring needle 17 years ago. This case illustrates an unusual presentation of an ingested foreign body as a rectus sheath abscess after a long duration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Kerala University, Trivandrum 695011, Kerala, India. noushif@gmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noushif
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sivaprasad
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prashanth
mesh_terms: D018784:Abdominal Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D015746:Abdominal Pain; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies; D006801:Humans; D009339:Needles; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology; D012007:Rectum / Q000601:surgery