Successful laparoscopic treatment for sustained abdominal pain due to fish bone migrating into the neck of the pancreas: a case report and thinking about surgical approach through the literature review

BACKGROUND: The majority of ingested foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract smoothly, with less than 1% requiring surgery. Fish bone could perforate through the wall of stomach or duodenum and then migrate to other surrounding organs, like the pancreas and liver. CASE PRESENTATION: We report herein the case of a 67-year-old male who presented with sustained mild epigastric pain. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a linear, hyperdense, foreign body along the stomach wall and pancreatic neck. We made a final diagnosis of localized inflammation caused by a fish bone penetrating the posterior wall of the gastric antrum and migrating into the neck of the pancreas. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed firstly, but no foreign body was found. Hence, a laparoscopic surgery was performed. The foreign body was removed safely in one piece and was identified as a 3.2-cm-long fish bone. The patient was discharged from the hospital on the fifth day after surgery without any postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic surgery has proven to be a safe and effective way to remove an ingested fish bone embedded in the pancreas.