Laparoscopic diagnosis and extraction of an ingested fish bone that penetrated the stomach: A case report

RATIONALE: Foreign body ingestion is a common clinical event, but serious complication such as perforation is uncommon. Here we present a case of gastrointestinal perforation caused by fish bone, which was treated effectively and successfully by totally laparoscopic management. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 63-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital with epigastric pain for 1 month. Computed tomography of the abdomen at the local hospital revealed a linear, hyperdense, foreign body in the lesser curvature of gastric antrum that had penetrated through the posterior wall of the gastric antrum. DIAGNOSIS: The laparoscopic exploration found that a 2.5 cm × 0.3 cm fish bone had penetrated through the posterior wall of the gastric antrum. INTERVENTIONS: A totally laparoscopic surgery was performed to remove the foreign body and repair the perforation eventually. OUTCOMES: After surgery, the patient underwent uneventful recovery and was discharged on postoperative day 7. During the 3 months of follow-up visit, the patient appeared healthy and did not report abdominal symptoms. LESSONS: In this case, the advantages of laparoscopic techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal perforation caused by foreign body was confirmed, and which may be considered as the primary choice in similar cases.