Appendicitis caused by accidentally ingested metallic pin: a case report

ABSTRACT

Foreign bodies [FB] are a rare cause of appendicitis. We report a case of a 29-year-old healthy female who presented to the emergency department after accidentally swallowing a pin while wearing head scarf. Plain abdominal radiograph revealed an opaque metallic pin in the left upper quadrant. She was sent home with reassurance. After a week, she presented to the emergency department again with intermittent abdominal pain. Abdominal radiograph at this stage showed the metallic pin in the right lower quadrant and the decision to intervene was made. Colonoscopic removal failed as the pin could not be visualized. Abdominal CT scan was performed which revealed the pin within the lumen of appendix. At surgery and histopathology, acute appendicitis with ulceration and neutrophilic in filtration at pin contact suggested foreign body appendicitis. Pre-operative CT scan was found to be useful for localization of FB as well as identification of complications