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Am J Perinatol 1995; 12(2): 100-101
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-994415
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

© 1995 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Intraperitoneal Foreign Body as a Cause of Acute Abdomen in Pregnancy

Bruce Chen, J. Benjamin Hall, Joseph P. Bruner
  • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
  • The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense
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Publication Date:
04 March 2008 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Although surgical textbooks commonly include foreign bodies in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen, this cause of abdominal pain has not been reported in the obstetric literature. A 35-year-old woman presented at 24 weeks' gestation with right lower quadrant pain and peritoneal signs. The only abnormal finding at exploratory laparotomy was a free-floating intraperitoneal foreign body, presumably left inadvertently during prior surgery. The differential diagnosis of acute abdomen in pregnancy should include intraperitoneal foreign body in any woman with a history of previous abdominal surgery.

Keywords

Acute abdomen - foreign bodies - abdominal pain