An unexpected foreign body in the bladder: A Case-Report

Introduction:

Foreign bodies in the bladder are rarely observed because of difficult access. It may occur by self-insertion or migration from adjacent organs. Only small case series are found in the literature describing foreign bodies in the urinary bladder.

Case presentation:

A 18-year-old female patient presented with a history of having inserted a tampon into what she believed was her vagina 8 hours prior to hospital admission. Her main symptom was an acute urinary retention and her history did not reveal any tendency to sexual perversion or any psychiatric disorders. Both vaginal examination and vaginal sonography were not possible because of pain. Suprapubic ultrasound showed a foreign body inside the urinary bladder. The patient was referred to the department of urology, where the tampon was successfully removed by a cystoscopic approach under anesthesia. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day on antibiotics.

Conclusion:

A foreign body in the urinary bladder is an uncommon occurrence. Suspected cases need further investigations and endoscopic removal is the treatment of choice.