title: An Unusual Cause of Abdominal Pain: Three Lead Pellets within the Appendix Vermiformis.
abstract: Most ingested foreign bodies usually pass out in the feces uneventfully. Complications such as intestinal perforation and bleeding usually occur with sharp, thin, stiff, long, and pointed objects. This case describes the management of three lead pellets within the appendix vermiformis. A 45-year-old male visited our clinic complaining of a 4-month history of abdominal pain. The patient inquiry revealed that he had eaten hunted rabbit meat on numerous occasions and had unintentionally ingested three lead pellets. Plain abdominal films and a barium enema showed foreign bodies in the right lower abdominal quadrant. Since the lead pellets were thought to have migrated extraluminally, they were removed through laparotomy under fluoroscopic guidance. An appendectomy was performed. Pathologically, three lead pellets were embedded in the appendix, which showed signs of intramucosal inflammation. Foreign bodies causing appendicitis are rare. However, if stiff or pointed objects enter the appendicular lumen, there is a high risk of appendicitis, perforation, or abdominal pain. An appendectomy was required to remove the ingested lead pellets in the appendix.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Orhan Veli
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2862-294X
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Vecdi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Muderris
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3939-8293
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altintoprak
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yagmurkaya
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Research and Educational Hospital, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yalkin
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fehmi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Celebi