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.
Acute abdomen - foreign bodies - abdominal pain
