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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2009; 19(03): 219-221
DOI: 10.4103/0971-3026.54889
Abdominal Imaging

Imaging of a retained laparotomy towel that migrated into the colon lumen

Umut Ozyer
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey
,
Fatih Boyvat
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey
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Abstract

Retention of surgical instruments, most commonly small laparotomy sponges, is a known complication of surgery. Such retained instruments may remain silent or may cause a variety of complications. We report a case in which a retained laparotomy towel migrated into the colon. This is an infrequently reported complication. We were able to document the passage of the towel through the colon on plain radiographs. The USG and MRI findings are also described.

Keywords

Retained sponge - surgery complications - transmural migration


Publication History

Article published online:
02 August 2021

© 2009. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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