Retained Surgical Sponge that Eroded into Small Intestinal Lumen / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Foreign bodies retained in the peritoneal cavity rarely are documented, owing to medical, legal, and other reasons. A retained surgical sponge in the peritoneal cavity may cause symptoms both in the early postoperative period as well as months or years after the original operation. Among the complications reported following retention of surgical pads and sponges are obstruction, peritonitis, adhesions, abscess formation, erosion into the gastrointestinal lumen, and extrusion via the rectum. Erosion of a surgical sponge into the bowel is uncommon. We report a 33-year-old woman in whom retained surgical sponge eroded into the small bowel and produced unusual radiologic findings and complications.