A Retained Foreign Body as a Rare Cause of Small Bowel Obstruction (Gossypiboma): A Case Report

A retained foreign body (RFB) is a rare but possible complication of surgery. Among the most common retained foreign bodies are sponges, which may include lap pads and gauze pieces. Surgical never events are errors in medical care that are identifiable and preventable but have serious consequences for the patient, making it an important problem in terms of the safety and credibility of a healthcare facility. They also pose a major medicolegal threat to healthcare organizations and a diagnostic challenge for surgeons. Herein, we present the case of a 35-year-old woman who presented with signs and symptoms of acute intestinal obstruction. She revealed a history of Caesarean section 11 months prior. She had a stormy postoperative course then and had to undergo a diagnostic laparoscopy for pus aspiration three months after surgery, where no finding other than pus was reported. Upon presentation at our tertiary care center, she was examined and found to have an RFB for 11 months. She was managed surgically with successful laparoscopic removal of the gossypiboma and consequent resolution of all her symptoms. Though rare, the possibility of an RFB, especially after open surgery, should be kept in mind when diagnosing patients who present with pain, mass in the abdomen, or symptoms of an infection. Laparotomy is the mainstay of treatment for gossypiboma, but successful laparoscopic removal of the RFB provides a definite treatment with the super-added benefits of laparoscopy. Laparoscopic removal of gossypiboma has been reported in the literature and demonstrated in our tertiary care center.