Case report
Hegar uterine dilator as an unusual cause of small bowel obstruction: a case report
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Correspondence: Chukwudi O Okorie okorieco@mail.ru
Banso Baptist Hospital, Box 9, Kumbo, NWP, Cameroon
Journal of Medical Case Reports 2010, 4:208 doi:10.1186/1752-1947-4-208
Published: 6 July 2010Abstract
Introduction
The unusual event of surgical instrument retention in the abdominal cavity usually occurs after laparotomy.
Case presentation
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.